Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth
CHILLICOTHE — It’s been awhile.
Coming into Monday’s matchup with Unioto, Zane Trace hadn’t beaten the Shermans in quite some time — 2017 to be exact.
So when the final whistle sounded on a 2-0 win over their archrival in a game that the Pioneers were in control of from start to finish, quite simply, jubilation followed.
“This win is monumental for our program. This rivalry has been on the boys’ minds since summer conditioning,” ZT coach Jay Scott said. “I know it’s been several years since the RossCo Cup has made it back to Zane Trace and we were thrilled to be the ones holding it up.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Last season, the Shermans invaded Kinnikinnick and handed the Pioneers a 3-1 loss in the regular season before beating them again — a 3-2 final — in a Division II district semifinal.
Those two losses were all the motivation Zane Trace needed going into Monday.
Thanks to the stellar play of an always-sound back line and two goals from Ivan Chavez, the Pioneers (10-5) finally chased the proverbial monkey off their backs.
It also marked the sixth shutout for keeper Judah Hanks and his defensive counterparts.
“Judah did have a couple key saves last night and our defensive line played well, so saves were few,” Scott said. “I think more impressive is Judah’s ability to play the ball out of the back, which we saw on his assist to Ivan on the first goal.”
As Scott alluded to, Hanks had a hand in the night’s first score.
Near his own goal, the senior sent a ball that glided high across the pitch before eventually finding Chavez. With a defender nearby, Chavez beat Unioto’s keeper with a header at the 25:58 mark, giving ZT all the scoring it would eventually need.
But that tally stood for just 10 minutes. With 17:10 left in the first half, Chavez lit up the scoreboard a second time, providing the night’s final.
PHOTOS: Images from ZT’s win over Unioto
“Ivan is so gifted with the ball on his foot,” Scott said. “He also works so hard getting back on defense, pressing, and following shots, which was how he scored our second goal.”
Statistically, Unioto tallied seven shots on goal and committed five fouls. Meanwhile, the Pioneers managed five shots on target, Hanks made five saves, and ZT was whistled for eight fouls.
Zane Trace is back in action on Thursday at Miami Trace while the Shermans (5-11) lick their wounds and attempt to get back in the win column the same evening, traveling to Westfall.
“I want to see our mental toughness and composure improve. We have a lot of skill on our team, but we’re infamous for getting a goal down and panicking. Last night was a step in the right direction. There were a lot of nerves in the first half, but we kept our calm and got the result we wanted.”
SPONSORED BY MEGAN CARROLL — STATE FARM INSURANCE
