Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
THE PLAINS — The script writers in Hollywood couldn’t have written a more heartbreaking ending for Fairfield Union.
In a Division III regional semifinal against John Glenn on Tuesday evening, the Falcons had fired off 21 shots compared to John Glenn’s four.
However, Fairfield Union connected on none of those attempts, and it was the fourth shot from the Muskies that put the Falcons’ postseason run to rest.
With 3:14 left in a second overtime period, John Glenn’s Layken Cochran connected with a goal to lift her team to a 1-0 victory — ending a special season in the process.
CREDIT: Tanner Wright/SOSA
Tears flowed on Fairfield Union’s sideline and an overwhelming feeling of finality took place at Joe Burrow Stadium. But none of that sadness could outweigh the season that Fairfield Union had put together.
“We broke a lot of records this year and made another run to the regional. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. Obviously, we’re losing six tremendous seniors,” Falcons head coach Casey Bischof said. “Losing like this is not what we had in mind. But we went out fighting, and that’s what this group did every single night. They gave everything they had for all 80 minutes, and the last couple games, even more than that. It’s been an incredible season.”
Just like Fairfield Union’s win in a district final last week, the two teams fought to an offensive stalemate until the final whistle.
The Falcons outshot John Glenn 11-1 in the first 40 minutes, and the Muskies failed to get off a shot until 3:27 left in the half. Fairfield Union also fired off four shots on target but were unable to finish as the teams went into the break scoreless.
Despite their lack of success, the Falcons stayed aggressive in the second half, launching six more shots in the first 20 minutes, with five coming on goal.
But again, the Falcons continued to come up empty-handed.
John Glenn caused some chaos in the back end of the second half and earned a few opportunities. But FU’s Maycee Martindill made two important saves, one coming with 27 seconds left to keep John Glenn off the scoreboard and force overtime.
“We felt like we controlled the game and had a lot of chances, and it’s kind of been the same recipe in the games we’ve struggled in this year,” Bischof said. “We’ve gotten a lot of shots, but we had a hard time breaking down and finding that killer shot.”
That was all the more evident in the first overtime period.
Fairfield Union continued to control the possession game and held John Glenn shotless. But once again, the Falcons failed to capitalize on their chances as none of their four shots in the period found the net.
They knew they needed to capitalize before it was too late. But unfortunately, too late came a little too soon.
While Fairfield Union’s offensive woes continued in the second overtime, John Glenn found life. And with a perfect opportunity to put things away, Layken Cochran answered the call for the Muskies.
With 3:14 left, the senior midfielder fired a shot from the middle of the box. Though the shot was high, the ball ricocheted off the bottom of the crossbar and took a perfect bounce into the goal, sinking Fairfield Union by a 1-0 final.
“We know that by throwing ourselves forward, we open ourselves up to a lot of counters,” Bischof said. “Ultimately, John Glenn got one. It was a fantastic shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar. There was nothing that our keeper could do. But sometimes, you’ve just got to tip your hat to the other team. I love this game, but sometimes it’s just so cruel. Tonight was one of those nights.”
John Glenn will go on to the Division III Regional Final, where it awaits Rocky River, a 6-4 winner over Granville.
Meanwhile, Fairfield Union’s season comes to a devastating end, but not before the Falcons won the most games they have in a season since 2019 alongside a fourth consecutive district title.
The Falcons finished the season outscoring their opponents by a whopping 102-5 tally.
“These girls worked so tremendously hard. Yes, they’re upset that we lost, but they’re more upset that they don’t get to go out to practice tomorrow. They don’t get to continue to push each other and to be that group together,” Bischof said. “I can’t tip my hat enough to our girls. They’re fantastic. They work so hard and stay so positive no matter what the outcome is.”
CREDIT: Tanner Wright/SOSA
Fairfield Union says goodbye to six seniors in Rachael Warthman, Abbie Pike, Vivi Jones, Claire Brown, Katie McMahon, and Maddy Miller. Together, they won 66 games, including four district crowns and a regional final appearance in 2021.
There’s no doubt that group will be missed. But Bischof is confident that the future of his program is in great shape.
“These seniors are leaving our team in such great hands. We have such a great group of young girls that have learned from these six seniors,” Bischof said. “They’ve learned how you act on the field and off the field. They’ve learned how you act at practice. They stick together, and I look forward to seeing the growth of other girls on this team that stems from these seniors.”
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