Girls soccer: O-G pulls away from Findlay

GLANDORF – After nine first-half corner kicks, four shots on goal and just one goal by Ottawa-Glandorf in the first half of Wednesday’s nonleague girls soccer match with visiting Findlay, it seemed inevitable the Titans would eventually break the match wide open.

In the second half, it happened.

O-G booted six shots on goal and found the back of the net three times, en route to a 4-0 win over Findlay.

With the victory, O-G evened its record to 1-1. Findlay slipped to 0-2.

For the game, the Titans took 10 shots on goal. Findlay managed just one shot on goal, which came nearly 30 minutes into the second half.

“I think today was about persistence,” O-G coach Michelle Maag said. “The goals did not come early. But as we kind of kept the pressure on, we were able to find the back of the net.

“I thought in the first half, we had a bit more (possession) of the ball. In the second half, it evened out. … Findlay had some more possessions (in the second half), and I thought our defense did a good job of staying composed and making sure that we didn’t give up anything.”

Senior standout Makenna Siefker led O-G on Wednesday with two goals. Siefker’s first goal came at the 25:06 mark of the first half. Her second score came three minutes into the second half.

With Siefker’s two goals on Wednesday, she now has 84 career goals.

“It’s always good to have Makenna (Siefker) on your team,” Maag said with a grin. “She’s a player who has a knack for finding the back of the net. I think we’re going to ask for some more creative play (from Siefker) this year. We know teams are going to be looking at her. So, sometimes she’s going to be the scorer and sometimes she’s going to be the creator. And she is more than happy to play both roles.”

Added Siefker, “If I see an opening – and if I see an opening for my teammates – I have faith in all of us to take a shot from anywhere.”

Carlie Brinkman scored O-G’s third goal. Brinkman nailed a long-range shot that sailed past Findlay goalkeeper Ellyse Cunningham (six saves) at the 17-minute mark of the second half.

The Titans’ final goal on the night came at the 13:03 mark. Emma Heringhaus booted a successful shot from 15 yards out.

Maag was not overly concerned about having 10 unsuccessful corner kicks on Wednesday.

“Corner kicks are a work in progress. It’s always a difference-maker as we go through the season. But it is something you expect to get better at as it goes on. We had a lot of corners (Wednesday night), but we didn’t place the ball in the exact position where we wanted. So, that’s something we can get better at. I have confidence in the kids,” she said.

O-G opened its season this past Saturday with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Anthony Wayne.

“I think this team has much more flexibility than past teams had,” Maag said. “We had a bunch of positional changes in this game, compared to Game 1. So, we took what we learned from the first game against Anthony Wayne, and we tried to put ourselves in a better position in this one.”

Ottawa-Glandorf 4, Findlay 0

Shots on goal: Findlay 1; O-G 10

Goals: O-G – Makenna Siefker 2, Carlie Brinkman 1, Emma Heringhaus 1

Saves: O-G – Karsyn Erford 1; Findlay – Ellyse Cunningham 6

Records: O-G 1-1; Findlay 0-2