Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Final test. Passed.
CREDIT: Marissa Spradlin/SOSA
Over its last three games played against Circleville, Waverly and Westfall, Unioto hasn’t had any trouble finding the back of the net and hasn’t faced much resistance in doing so, either.
But the Shermans got a much stiffer test to end the regular season against Alexander no Thursday. They adjusted to physicality, showing they’re indeed tournament ready with a 4-2 victory over the Spartans.
“We’ve been able to dominate in our past few games and force our opponents to play our style of soccer, and that’s what we’ve talked to our guys about all season long,” Unioto coach Freddy Cortez said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a team that was as strong if not stronger than we were, and it took us a little bit for the physicality to settle in before figuring things out and taking the fight to Alexander.”
In the process of the victory, Unioto (15-1) tied a program record for the most wins in a single season — matching the 2002 team that went 15-0-1.
However, the journey getting there was met with a lot of early resistance.
Alexander’s Kyler D’Augustino has been a thorn in the Shermans’ side for the past three years due to his physical ability, skill and straight line speed. That trio showed itself as he struck for the first goal of the game in the opening nine minutes, putting the Spartans ahead 1-0.
As time continued to tick away, the Spartans (7-5-3) continued to apply pressure and also prevented Unioto from stringing passes together through the open lanes.
“Give Alexander a lot of credit. They did a great job of controlling the game in the first 20-25 minutes,” Cortez said. “They forced us to get unorganized, uncomfortable and they scored pretty quickly which allowed them to play a little more relaxed. We had guys focusing on one goal and forgetting assignments, and it took some time for us to put everything together to play our brand of soccer.”
However, the Shermans finally figured out Alexander’s tactics and found an opening. With the ball at J.C. Stark’s feet, he dribbled down the pitch and found Lucas Hanes, who did the rest to tie the game at 1-1.
“River [Pettigrew] played a ball that deflected off one of Alexander’s players and came right to play,” Stark said of the sequence. “I looked up and saw Lucas making the run, so I just played the ball right to him and he did what he does best.”
Seven minutes later, Alexander was called for a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick. Pettigrew sized up the goalie, took the kick and struck the right side of the net for a 2-1 Sherman lead at halftime.
Hanes then found himself at the right place at the right time less than five minutes into the second half.
A shot attempt hit off the post and bounced out. However, it bounced right to Hanes five feet in front of a wide open goal for an easy score, extending the lead to 3-1.
The Spartans weren’t going away quietly. Off a free kick, the ball found its way nearly into the goal and just needed a little nudge in the right direction. D’Augustino was right there to out jump everyone and give it that nudge, cutting the lead to 3-2.
One minute later, though, Hanes closed the door on a Shermans’ victory as he fired a rocket into the bottom left corner of the net to complete the hat trick, scoring his 99th career goal and capping the night.
“We started to possess the ball, moving it up a little bit and really settled down after the first 25 minutes,” Cortez said. “Alexander was forced to play our game, and that’s when things changed. It’s been awhile since we’ve been tested like this, and it was great to see our guys respond like they did. I think it was something we certainly needed as we head towards tournaments.”
Unioto turns its attention towards the Division II tournament, starting on Monday at home against 14-seeded Waverly in a Division II sectional semifinal.
If the Shermans win, and Alexander defeats Miami Trace, the Shermans and Spartans would square off again in a Division II sectional final on Wednesday at Unioto.
“Effort. That’s the biggest thing we have to put forth for us to accomplish what we want to,” Cortez said. “Our training and conditioning I believe is up there with the best in the state. We did some different things, got guys in the weight room, got stronger and we’re seeing the results. Sure, we’ll face teams that have as much talent and skill as we do, but our effort is something that can’t be matched. We will not be outworked.”
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