Batavia’s Molly Duncan approaches a free kick for the Lady Bulldogs against Badin.
One of the most storied seasons in the history of the Batavia High School girls soccer program came to an end at Milford High School on Monday, October 25.
Playing under a light drizzle for most of the game, Badin’s defense held Batavia off the scoreboard, defeating the Lady Bulldogs 1-0 in the district semifinals.
“That’s a heck of a team right there,” Batavia head coach Drew Poling said. “Number two in the city. The only people that thought we had a chance were these girls and myself. A 1-0 match on a rainy night, not the way I wanted it to end but I’ll take it. They played their butts off.”
Badin goalkeeper Becca Wolterman saved seven Batavia shots to keep the Lady Bulldogs scoreless. In the second half, Batavia had a chance at a goal as the ball came free in front of an open net. Nobody could get a foot on it and Badin was able to clear their lines.
“Could we have attacked more?” Poling said. “Yeah, we could have, but they had a very good defensive line that was very composed. I knew it was going to come down to our two defensive lines. Our girls are mini but mighty, on that back line I’ve got a true freshman and a sophomore in the center back position, a sophomore on the outside and a junior on the other side. I can’t say enough about those girls.”
Batavia finishes the season 13-2-3 overall, 9-0-1 in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference’s American Division. The championship marked the second consecutive league title for the team.
“They’re just an overall good group of girls from top to bottom,” Poling said. “I knew they were special. I knew it was going to be a pretty special season.”
Batavia finished with just two losses against an unquestionably difficult schedule. The team tied Wyoming 0-0 and defeated Indian Hill 1-0. Those two teams faced each other in a district semifinal on October 25 with Wyoming taking a 2-1 win.
Batavia defeated Seven Hills and tied Madiera. Madeira defeated Seven Hills in a Division III district semifinal that same night.
“I put together probably the hardest schedule this organization has ever faced,” Poling said. “The girls were up for the challenge. They took it to task.”
The team’s postseason success didn’t come easily. The squad defeated Roger Bacon in penalty kicks 3-2 to advance to the sectional final. They then traveled to Ross, defeating the hosts 2-1 in overtime.
The trip up to Milford was a lot shorter, and the Batavia faithful came out in droves to support the team.
“It was like a home crowd,” Poling said. “A little disturbing at times, I’m used to a more quiet, calm, comfortable setting but it was neat to see the excitement from the community. The student body, the administrators, the board, the families, the parents, their friends, everybody that came out knew about Batavia girls soccer. It was neat to put them on the map.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing this season for the Lady Bulldogs.
“We overcame some adversity,” Poling said. “We lost our best attacking player to a very pivotal injury. We lost our key defensive players to a serious knee injury. As the season wore on, one of our players lost one of her parents suddenly, which was devastating. You could tell she wasp laying for her mother the rest of the way. That’s why the team wore the red tape around their legs, in honor of her mom. It was cool to see the team come together for that.”
The contest marked the end of the season for Batavia’s five seniors, four of whom were able to play in the match. Goalkeeper Madison Coyle, midfielder Olivia Rose, forward Avery Collier and midfielder Olivia Patel donned the Batavia uniform for the final time in the contest. The team’s fifth senior, Hannah Wiederhold, was injured earlier in the year.
“They’re a good group,” Poling said. “I’ve had them for a long time. I can’t say enough about them, they’re awesome…I love them like my kids.”