Lady Tigers soccer ties Chillicothe

The McClain girls varsity soccer team made history last Thursday night when they were able to gain a 2-2 tie with Chillicothe on their home field.

McClain has never had a girls varsity soccer team ever defeat or tie Chillicothe since the teams joined the Frontier Athletic Conference in 2013.

“Girls soccer here at McClain had never beaten or tied Chillicothe ever,” said McClain head coach Blain Bergstrom “So, I’m tickled to death with our effort tonight.”

Things looked good to begin the match when the Lady Tigers were playing with a lot of energy and confidence, controlling the ball most of the time.

McClain took a 2-0 halftime lead after freshman Paisley Pryor scored a pair of goals, the first at the 22:57 mark and the second with 19:40 left in the opening half from a great assist by senior Luca Matesic.

“The intensity was there tonight all the way around,” Bergstrom said “Our kids came out firing in the first half scoring those two goals, and I thought we had a few other chances, just couldn’t score. Sometimes you need to put more balls in the net when you have those chances, but we didn’t.

“So, we’re up 2-0 going into the half, but I knew Chillicothe’s coach was going to make some adjustments because he’s a really good soccer coach and I’ve known him a long time.”

In the second half, the Lady Cavaliers seemed to come out with some urgency, but the game remained a defensive struggle with McClain still holding onto the 2-0 advantage.

McClain’s goalkeeper Kenzie Wise made several stops at the net all night, until Chillicothe’s Alyssa Dudley scored at the 18:32 mark of the second period, cutting the Lady Tigers’ lead to 2-1. Defense continued to be played superbly down the stretch until the Lady Cavaliers were able to tie the score on a goal by Allie Mathis with just 12:42 remaining in the match.

Both teams had numerous opportunities to score as the clock ran down but were unable to do so, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

“This was school history for us because nobody has ever even come close to beating or tying Chillicothe, and we had a chance to win,” said Bergstrom. “I thought our defense played really hard and was there all night creating a lot of stops.

“Kenzie (Wise) blocked a lot of shots, and Chillicothe was running around in the back a lot in the second half. She slipped on their second goal, but there’s nothing she could do about that.

“I’m still just super proud of my girls.”

The Lady Tigers have a makeup game at Peebles before traveling to Hillsboro on Thursday, Oct. 5 with a 5 p.m. start time.

In the nightcap, the McClain boys soccer team lost to the league-leading Cavaliers, 8-0. The McClain boys will play at Circleville on Tuesday, Oct. 3, then travel to Hillsboro on Thursday, Oct. 5 to face the Indians in a 7 p.m. start time.