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LOGAN — The bigger the spotlight, the better Maddi Mitchell plays.
Considering she’s a freshman with three years left in her high school career, Fairfield Union is more than thrilled she’s on its side.
After scoring the lone goal in the team’s district semifinal victory over Warren, she found the back of the net three times to lead the Falcons to a 4-0 victory over Sheridan on Thursday — marling the program’s third-straight Division II district championship.
“She went a little cold midway through the season, but she’s really turned things up ever since the tournament season started,” Fairfield Union coach Casey Bischof said. “There’s no quit in her whatsoever, and she battles hard every night. At this level, being able to shake off cold stretches or bad nights is incredibly huge as a freshman, and she’s playing great soccer.”
The victory moves Fairfield Union to 17-1-2 on the season, and completed its 13th shutout of the year.
“I think it’s a testament to the culture of our program, and especially the kids for how they approach everything on the varsity level,” Bischof said. “Our kids have stepped up and really took in these freshmen with open arms. Instead of looking at them as competition, they looked to them as teammates all working towards the same goal.”
“I couldn’t give more credit to our back line and goalkeeper. There’s so many new faces and players who haven’t played in those positions before,” Fairfield Union’s Claire Brown said. “They have played with such confidence and boldness throughout the season, and seeing them work together in practice to always get better is incredible. Katie McMahon also deserves a lot of credit for that as the captain on the back line for bringing them together and teaching them everything she knows.”
Fairfield Union had a pair of chances in the opening 10 minutes to score from point-blank range on Thursday, but Sheridan’s Kendall Harter came up with saves on both chances.
The Falcons continued to be aggressive and then, they took advantage of an opportunity.
With the ball in the box and a General defender about to clear it, Mitchell quickly stole possession and fired a shot, connecting with the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Just 28 seconds later, she was at it again. She saw an opening and sent a perfect shot into the top corner of the net, over the goalie’s head, for her second goal, extending the lead to 2-0 — a score that remained intact at halftime.
“The first goal was really a defensive win for us since we were playing up, got the ball open wide and I brought it back in,” Mitchell said. “The second goal I noticed Sheridan was playing back on the heels and they looked scared, so we just took it to them and I put it in.”
The Falcons continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal throughout the second half, being just as aggressive on both sides of the ball.
Sheridan’s offense wasn’t connecting any passes, and the Falcons could smell yet another district title. They added insurance when Mitchell took a pass from Rachel Warthman, outraced Sheridan’s backline and completed the hat trick to push the score to 3-0.
Minutes later, the Generals were whistled for a handball in the box that led to a penalty kick, which Warthman struck into the bottom left corner to cap the night’s scoring.
“We recognized from the first time we played Sheridan that they were going to pack it inside of the box and they were content with defending,” Brown said. “We knew we couldn’t just play the through balls straight and split anybody, we had to play the ball out wide and our wings have to work extra hard to play it back in. We pressured the sidelines a lot, but that also helped Maddi get inside to score.”
Fairfield Union advances to a Division II regional semifinal at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Athens High School against Marietta — who defeated Jackson to advance.
Two years ago, the Falcons eliminated the Tigers from the tournament. Last year, it was the Tigers who got their revenge.
So the story for the rubber match writes itself.
“Last year, we were a little bit timid having played them in the regular season to a 0-0 tie and not knowing what to expect in the regional game,” Brown said. “Now we have this confidence after this win that we’re ready for anything and I think it’ll bring a positive vibe to preparing us for Tuesday. It’s going to be a battle, but I expect us to advance.”
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