It’s not deja vu, it’s a repeat.
The University of Cincinnati – Clermont women’s soccer team brought home a second consecutive USCAA Division II title, defeating SUNY-ESF 2-0 in the championship game on Monday, November 11.
The win capped off a dominant three-game series for UC Clermont, as the Cougars out-scored their opponent 14-4 over the two pool play matches and the championship game.
Head coach Blaine Callahan said he was happy with his team’s ability to rise to the occasion during the tournament and come home with the championship
“It feels good,” Callahan said. “The girls worked really hard, and they played up to a high level during the tournament. I’m proud of them.”
In the first pool match, UC Clermont found themselves trailing Penn State Brandywine 2-1 with less than three minutes left in the first half. UC Clermont was familiar with their opening opponent thanks to last season’s tournament run, but things were a bit different this year.
“They pressured us up high,” Callahan said. “Last year, we played them in the national championship game, and the tactics were completely different for them this time around. They tried to pressure up high this time around, and they got a couple things to go their way.”
Autumn Adams scored an equalizer with less than a minute left in the half, pushing the score to 2-2 at the break.
UC Clermont exploded from there, scoring four goals in the first 10 1/2 minutes of the second half. Tara Claus scored less than three minutes into the period, thanks to an assist from Ally Brown. Brown then scored three more goals over a six-minute stretch to put the game out of reach.
That seemed to back up what Callahan said the team talked about at halftime.
“We talked about taking care of our chances and getting into their offensive half, and we went out and scored four goals in the first nine minutes of the second half,” Callahan said.
The Cougars didn’t stop finding the back of the net, scoring six more goals in the second game of pool play, a 6-2 win over Southern Maine Community College.
Abbie Flanagan scored off a Claus corner kick, then Claus tallied the second goal off an assist from Rachel Door.
Hannah Mahoney’s assist of Claus led to UC Clermont’s third goal, giving the Cougars a 3-0 lead at halftime.
“We got on a bit of a roll, and once the first ball went into the back of the net, I think we saw blood a little bit,” Callahan said. “We got into the attack. Our outside defenders got into the attack. Girls like Ally Brown and Tara Claus were really feeling it. The posts that were hit and bounced out early in the season rolled into the goal in this tournament, that was nice to see.”
In the second half, Dorr scored off a pass from Adams. Brown tallied the team’s fifth goal with an assist from Angela Mclaughlin, and Julianna Harrison capped off the game with a score in the 88th minute of play.
In the championship match against SUNY-ESF, another half of pressing limited UC Clermont’s chances early. They took six shots in the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
“They were pressuring us pretty high up the pitch,” Callahan said. “They had a high line and we were flustered a little bit with not having the time and space we were accustomed to. We made an adjustment at halftime, and we came out and had most of the ball.”
UC Clermont broke through in the 53rd minute on a goal by Claus. Three minutes later, Dorr found the back of the net off a Claus assist, and the Cougars clamped down defensively from there.
SUNY-ESF had six shots in the second half, but none found the back of the net. UC Clermont’s Julia Thomas made three saves for the team before being replaced late in the second half. A wave of substitutions with roughly five minutes left gave every player on the roster a chance to see time in the title game.
“There were girls who contributed all year long, who played some quality minutes,” Callahan said. “There were girls who deserved to be a part of that who maybe weren’t on the pitch a lot this year but were contributors in other ways. I wanted to make sure we rewarded them as well.”
Turning toward the 2020 season, Callahan said replacing the team’s four seniors (Adams, Claus, Flanagan, and Sara Ventura) will be difficult.
“We lost four of the most dynamic players we’ve ever had,” Callahan said. “We’re looking for another quality incoming class. We’re going to keep trying to build the roster back up, and we’re looking for that three-peat.”
Callahan finished by thanking the fans for their support this season.
“We appreciate the support,” Callahan said. “It’s fun to see the amount of fans up in the stands. It grows every year, and I’m hoping it continues to grow. I was talking to a local director of coaching the other day, and he said that UC Clermont women’s soccer was the best-kept secret in Cincinnati. We don’t want it to be a secret, we want people to come out and have fun. We want people to understand these are a talented group of girls who have worked really hard and have accomplished a lot.”