By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor
For the second straight season, the New Richmond Lions boys’ soccer team found themselves facing a tough Badin team with postseason advancement on the line.
This time, the two teams squared off in the sectional tournament championship on Oct. 24 at Turpin High School. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw throughout regulation and a pair of 15-minute overtime periods, forcing a penalty shootout. The Lions won the shootout 6-5 and the match 2-1.
New Richmond head coach Doug Flamm said he expected a difficult game, especially since the Lions were the team that eliminated the Rams in 2015.
“I knew it was going to be a battle from the start, we’d been saying that since the sectional was over and we saw who we’d be facing,” Flamm said. “Last year we faced them in the sectional and got them in the closing minute. We figured they’d want revenge. They’re very well coached and skilled. Both teams matched up great, it was a battle.”
Flamm and the Lions have been sharpening themselves mentally, which allowed the team to keep their composure during the shootout. The Lions did not miss a single kick.
“We focus a lot on mental toughness, controlling your emotions,” Flamm said. “We have an acronym, WIN (What’s Important Now) and we had just started doing some visualization processes. I told them to do the best that you can, whether you get it in or not your teammates will still care.”
The victory sent the Lions to the district championship game, where they faced off against undefeated Alter at West Carrollton High School on Oct. 27.
The teams were scoreless for most of the contest, though both squads had chances. Alter had several shots on goal turned away by sophomore goalkeeper Aaron Presscott, who Flamm said had a fantastic game.
“Our defense was great, Prescott was great,” Flamm said. “We had a few chances to put one in, we just couldn’t get it to go.”
The Lions made several runs to the Alter side of the field, only to be turned away by a save in the net or a quick flick of the foot that caused them to lose the ball. Alter scored three goas late in the second half to win the match 3-0.
“Their defense pressured and closed us down quickly,” Flamm said. “The goalie played well, he was athletic and had strong hands. They did what they needed to do, we had a few that just missed by a few inches. It’s tough.”
Flamm said that both the referees and the opposing coaching staff were complimentary of how the Lions’ played, which benefits both New Richmond and the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference.
“It’s great for the SBAAC and Clermont County soccer,” Flamm said. “To have two SBACC teams in the district championship speaks a lot for soccer on the east side.”
When he looked back on the team’s season, which ended with a 14-2-3 record and a second-place finish in the SBAAC American Division, Flamm said watching the team grow together as the season progressed was something else.
“It was a growing process,” Flamm said. “After losing the athletes that we lost from last year’s team it was about finding our identity and who we were as a team. It was such a high, getting to districts for first time in school history we were elated. The team found out who it was, the chemistry got stronger and you could see the growth night after night.”