Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
JACKSON – After a frustrating regular season, Unioto has turned things around at the perfect time.
The Shermans advanced to Saturday’s Division IV district championship game after a dominant 9-1 win over Fairland on Wednesday night at Jackson’s Alumni Stadium.
Unioto (8-11) got out to a quick start behind the dynamic freshman duo of Luke Mautz and Elliott Allsop. Allsop sent a through ball for Mautz, who ripped a right-footed shot into the far left post with 32:45 to play in the opening half.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
Less than five minutes later, Zack Wallace beat the goalkeeper high, but the ball slammed off the crossbar and landed at the foot of Bryce Derringer. Derringer settled the ball and blasted a rocket into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
The Dragons (12-6-1) responded with a forward push, eventually leading to a low shot that freshman goalkeeper Chase Danison made an outstanding save on to maintain the early lead for the Shermans.
“Chase is a freshman and it’s his first year. He’s really stepped up,” Unioto’s Liam Mathey said. “It’s a big challenge to step up as a freshman. He’s really showing how good he is.”
Unioto struck again with 17:27 to play when Mautz unloaded a scorching shot from 35 yards out that beat the keeper and pulled all momentum to the Tanks’ side.
Fellow freshman Connor Given then extended the lead by winning a loose ball in the box and finishing with a goal at the 10:23 mark.
The Shermans continued to add on with goals from Derringer (5:33) and Isaiah Garza (3:20) to close out the first half. The midfield performance from Allsop, Derringer, and Wallace controlled the pace of play, helping push the Shermans to a dominant opening 40 minutes.
To begin the second half, the Dragons came out with a renewed energy, specifically from the duo of Gabe Polcyn and Trevor Lochow — ultimately leading to the duo teaming up for the Dragons’ only goal of the evening.
Lochow sent a cross from outside of the left side of the box, which connected with Polcyn, who headed the ball past the outstretched arms of Danison with 28:09 to play.
The Tanks responded well from the Fairland goal, however.
PHOTOS: Images from Unioto’s win over Fairland
In fact, it led to a trio of goals to close out the contest. The first came from Mathey on a deflection in the box with 20:45 to play. The junior defender was able to make a push forward and was rewarded with his fourth goal of the season.
“It’s great to be able to get the experience and go up and attack from defense,” Mathey said. “Sometimes, in most games, I don’t get to do that, especially in the close ones. So I like it when I’m able to get up there.”
Defensively, the Shermans used a familiar duo in the center with Mathey and William Whitten, but a recent shift to using seniors Isaac Ridder, Lucas Martin and sophomore Cole Stamper on the outside has helped the Shermans defense become more effective.
Going into the final week of the regular season, the Shermans were giving up more than 3.3 goals per game. But over the past four outings, that number has been brought down to 1.5 per game, helping push the Tanks into the most successful portion of their season.
Ultimately, it would be Mautz who closed out the scoring and the game with a pair of goals assisted by Allsop. The first goal, Mautz’ 30th of the season, came on a shot from the top of the box, which Mautz put into the net with a hard left-footed shot. Less than four minutes later, he evoked the OHSAA mercy rule with his fourth goal of the night in a similar fashion to his previous finish to push the Shermans into the district championship game.
“It’s a cool experience,” Mautz said. “I’m fortunate to have teammates to help me finish and get those four goals. [Allsop and I] have played together all through school and have connected really well. It translated to high school. We’ll keep doing that as the games go.”
The Shermans advance to their fourth district championship game in the last five seasons. In it, they’ll take on Gallia Academy, an 8-0 winner over Logan Elm on Wednesday.
First touch is set for 8 p.m. on Saturday in Jackson.
“It’s really just talking,” Mathey said. “If we bring the momentum we got from this game, and communicate, that’s the biggest thing we’ve struggled with all year. We brought it to this game and you see the result.”
Goal Summary
1st Half
32:45 – U – Luke Mautz (assisted by Elliott Allsop)
27:47 – U – Bryce Derringer
17:27 – U – Mautz
10:23 – U – Conner Given
5:33 – U – Derringer
3:20 – U – Isaiah Garza
2nd Half
28:09 – F – Gabe Polcyn (Tim Lochow)
20:45 – U – Liam Mathey
13:33 – U – Mautz (Allsop)
9:52 – U – Mautz (Allsop)
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