Fairfield season ends in regional semifinal via penalty kicks 

There is no question about it, the Fairfield Lady Lions soccer team for the 2026 season was a force to be reckoned with, as they battled all comers to play in the Division V regional round where they faced rival Fayetteville. 

One-hundred and twenty minutes of soccer consisting of two 40-minute regulation halves and two 15-minute overtime periods wasn’t enough to settle who was advancing to the Elite 8. When it was time for penalty kicks to decide who would break the 2-2 tied score and advance in the tournament, it was the Lady Rockets igniting past Fairfield with a 3-2 (3-1 PK) win over Fairfield at Herrnstein Field in Chillicothe. 

Fairfield scored the first goal of the regional semifinal as senior Vivian Henninger broke away from the defense and sent the ball over the Fayetteville keeper's head for the 1-0 lead with 8:32 left in the first half.

Fayetteville didn't break, though; rather, they quickly battled back and answered the goal by Fairfield with one of their own when Fayetteville's Jaylee Wessel tied the score at 1-1 with 4:32 on the firs-half clock as she sent the ball to the right side of the goal.

The 1-1 score stood when halftime arrived between the two SHAC rivals.

Though the second half began with each team trying to gain the upper hand, Fairfield was the one who gained the advantage and scored their second goal as sophomore Landyn Hodson kicked the ball past the keeper with a short kick near the net off a rebound for the 2-1 lead with 29:42 left in regulation. 

Fayetteville answered with their second goal of the match, tying the score at 2-2 when Wessel scored a goal, kicking the ball across the keeper and into the corner of the net with 8:22 left in regulation. 

Then came the two 15-minute overtimes where each team competed at a high level, but no goals were scored in either OT period, sending the game into the final stage, sudden death with penalty kicks. 

The first overtime had saves by both keepers, with Fairfield’s Jackson making some strong stops, including one with 1:08 left in the first OT as she made a one-handed jumping stop. 

In the second OT, Jackson had a stop with 10:17 on the clock, then a diving stop at 7:48. She also kept Fayetteville from scoring with 7:27 and 4:17 left in the second OT. 

In the penalty kicks, neither team made their first attempt, and after Fairfield missed on their second try, Fayetteville’s Lindi Carlier put the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead in PKs. Fairfield tied the score with a PK made by Henninger, sending the ball to the bottom left of the net. 

Fayetteville took the lead with a goal in the PK round, then they won the match with one final PK made on their fourth attempt for the 3-1 PK win. 

Fayetteville improves to 17-4-3 overall and now will play in the regional finals on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Pickerington North High School with a start time of noon. 

Fairfield ends their season at 12-6-3 overall with a SHAC record of 3-1-2 in the regular season, as they won their second consecutive district championship this tournament. 

Seniors for Fairfield are Meri Jackson, Miley Brown, Emerson Zink, Kaylee Hurless-Miller,     Landry Teeters, Vivian Henninger, Isabelle Hale and Whitlee Morrow.