By HEATH – The Fairfield Union girls’ soccer team started their Division III regional championship with a bang when senior Maddi Mitchell scored a goal on an assist from Makayla Rawlins in the first minute of the game against Bexley to give the Falcons a quick lead.
However, it didn’t last, as the Lions were able to counter with a pair of goals and held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory to end the Falcons’ season on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Heath High School.
Fairfield Union was making only its second-ever appearance in an Elite Eight game. Ironically, the Falcons’ only other appearance came five years ago against Bexley, and they lost that game, 2-1. Kaeda Miller finished with 11 saves in goal for the Falcons on Saturday.
It was a tough way to end the season, but Fairfield Union has nothing to be ashamed of. The Falcons finish with a 15-5-2 record, placing second (5-1) in the Mid-State League-Buckeye Division.
The Falcons reached the regional final by beating Hillsboro 8-0 and Sheridan 3-1, before upsetting top-ranked Marietta 1-0 in the Southeast district championship. It marked the fourth time in the last four years that the Falcons have won a district title. From there, Fairfield Union defeated Tri-Valley 2-0 in the regional semifinal at Logan.
Senior Kyla Gasser finished her outstanding career with several records. She scored her 78th career goal in the win against Tri-Valley, which ties the school record held by Taylor Davis. Gasser also has school records for most assists in a season with 30 and most career assists with 60.
Fairfield Union coach Casey Bischof also won his 200th career win earlier this season.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Bexley edges Fairfield Union in regional championship game
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bexley-edges-fairfield-union-regional-023841977.html
