This past Saturday November 12th, the women’s soccer team competed in the OHSAA Division I State Final at Mapfre Stadium against the Springboro Panthers (18-2-3). The Warriors defeated the panthers by a final score of 2-0 at a game packed with emotion and energy from whistle to whistle.
Walsh Jesuit battled through a hard fought first half. Early chances were created by Walsh Jesuit senior Gaby Young with a pair of shots from just outside the 18 yard box; however, the Warriors could not open up the scoring. Gaby remarked, “I was hoping to shoot [the shots] on frame with the possibility of winning a corner kick.” This strategy proved successful when Gaby’s shot forced the Springboro goalkeeper to make a diving save, causing the ball to be parried out of bounds for a corner kick.

In the first half, Walsh dominated the possession and had the edge on shots in the first half (9-4); nonetheless, the game remained 0-0 at the break. Then the Walsh Jesuit offense found its spark early in the second half, scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes. Five minutes into the second half, sophomore defender Maddie Shinaberry connected with junior attacker Aubrey Bechter who skillfully headed the ball into the back of the net.

The second goal, just six minutes later, fell to senior Sofia Rossi courtesy of an excellent shielding job by sophomore Bella Rosalina. Rossi was able to shake a defender with a sharp cut to the left and fired the ball off of the crossbar and into the goal. In response to her goal, Rossi observed, “[Brella] shielded them perfectly. I did a takeover and then I just roofed it.” The goal marked Rossi’s fifth goal in a state final.
The Walsh Jesuit back line held the Springboro attack to only seven shots in the game. Freshman goalkeeper Kiera Sarka recorded four saves to maintain the shutout for the Warriors. Sarka’s saves included an outstretched plunge onto the ball to stop a dangerous counter attack in the last 10 minutes.
In an interview with Head Coach Dino McIntyre, he admitted, “I doubted these guys halfway through the season. I’m going to be very honest just because I’m used to certain play, you know, certain consistency, and we just didn’t have it. But once again my biggest teacher in coaching has been my own players that I’ve coached. This year they taught me another lesson: to never doubt.”
The victory gives Coach McIntyre his 427th career win for Walsh, ranking him second in the state for career victories. The Warriors once again proved their resilience and talent in another amazing season with a record of 22-1.