Kirtland Defeats Berkshire 4-1 To End Dream Season

Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio – The dream season of the Berkshire Badgers Girls Soccer team ended tonight 4-1 in an epic clash against Kirtland High School.  Sadly, for the Badgers, a horrendous call by the official cost them the game and a chance to advance to the sweet sixteen in the state.

The air was brisk, the drama was high and the action was furious.  You could feel the buzz of the crowd from a mile away, it was that loud!  It became even louder in the opening moments of the second half, when a perfectly timed slide steal of the ball by Berkshire was ruled a penalty, and gave Kirtland a penalty shot.  Sure enough, the Hornets Maggie Kadas put it past Cat Lillibridge to place the Hornets on top 2-1.  The Badgers never recovered from the blown call and fell 4-1.

It was a shame that such a good game played by two very well coached and talented teams would be tainted by so many awful calls and no calls in the second half.  The poor officiating would continue the entire second half.  At one point, the official let two minutes run off the clock so he could run over to the sidelines and argue with Berkshire head coach Ricky Nerone.  There was no action in a 2-1 game at that point, while the ref took the time to argue with the coach and let precious seconds tick off the clock.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the entire Badgers team played their hearts out tonight and all season long, they have nothing to feel bad about.  They played like champions all year in a dream season that would be enough to inspire anyone.  Even non-sports fans.

Lillibridge had an incredible night, with 21 incredible saves.  Most of which came in one on one situations, and two of the goals she let up where highlight reel worthy and aren’t goals 99 out of 100 times.  It was just that kind of bad luck night for the Badgers.

Head coach Ricky Nerone is proud of his team and the wonderful season they put together, “We just came together as a team.  When I first came here three years ago, I believed in the girls but wasn’t sure if they believed in themselves yet.  Last year we were as good as this year but they didn’t buy in.  This year they did and the proof was in the pudding.  We worked really hard, we may not be as skilled but we wouldn’t get outworked.”

There was no denying just how good this Kirtland team was tonight, bad calls aside, they were solid at every position head to toe and deserved the victory.  Nerone describes what they do well, “They are the top public school in Division Three and are the Gold Standard.  They are a technically skilled team, they pass very well and move off the ball well.  They are a tough matchup for anyone and the favorites to win states for a reason.  They start five seniors and don’t panic. “

Kirtland had a good shot on goal in the fourth minute, straight on with the goalkeeper.  It was then that Cat Lillibridge came up huge with a diving save to keep the game scoreless.  It was one of three big saves by Lillibridge in the first 9 minutes of play during a relentless attack from Kirtland.

At the 14-minute mark, Kirtland had a corner kick but still couldn’t cash in.  Kirtland continued to find openings with precise passing but couldn’t get it past the stingy Badger defense despite the looks they were getting.  Some very physical play and some curious referee no calls also led to some chances.

It was with 17 minutes left in the first half that Kirtland finally broke through.  On a goal you don’t see every day, or even every season.  Kirtland’s Hannah Vouk blasted a shot from 20 yards out that Cat Lillibridge made a leaping save attempt on.  The ball smashed off the goalies’ hands and off the post.  The ball then took a bad bounce that Allie Barcikoski was in perfect position to tap in giving the Hornets a 1-0 lead.

Showing the heart that led them to 18 straight wins, and one of the top teams in the state, the fiery girls of Berkshire bounced back.  With less than four minutes to go in the first half, they cashed in on a rare scoring chance.  Lexi Boyk set up Allie Barickoski on a breakaway.  Barickoski took the perfectly placed pass and put the ball in the back of the net to tie the game moments before halftime.

As mentioned at the top, Kirtland proved to be too much, scoring three times in the second half, including one as the buzzer expired.  Berkshire finished 18-1 and will be the early favorites to win the State Championship in 2018.  They are young, they are loaded, and they are well coached!

Box Score

Kirtland 1 3 =4

Berkshire 1 0 = 1

Shots on goal

Kirtland = 25

Berkshire = 7