Late goals, unshakeable defense carry Riders

ST. MARYS - With 17 minutes to go in a scoreless game, St. Marys' Krista Ruppert missed a golden opportunity on a crosser from Aerial Fast in front of the net.

Six minutes later, Fast put another ball in the same spot, and this time Ruppert made it count.

Ruppert's goal with 11:18 left put the Roughriders ahead and Fast added insurance for a 2-0 win over Bath in a Western Buckeye League girls soccer match at Roughrider Field on Tuesday.

"We didn't get enough of those put away," St. Marys coach Nick Wilson said. "Sometimes that creeps up and grabs you the wrong way at the end, but it worked out and we snuck out of here with the W."

St. Marys (13-2-1, 6-1-1 WBL) took the fight to the Wildcats in the second half, generating five corners and three shots on goal in the first 22 minutes as Bath's back line and keeper Kyla Bailey kept the Roughriders from taking the lead. Fast looked for Ruppert in the middle three minutes into the half, but the Wildcats prevented her from getting a shot off, and 10 minutes later Bailey stopped a crosser by Fast at the right post.

After a wide shot with 17:24 remaining, Fast made another run down the right side and found Ruppert alone in the middle. Ruppert missed the ball for a close-range shot and it bounced to Reese Rable, who took a shot from the left side but turned a little too far and sent it just outside the post.

Bath responded with a brief offensive, but keeper Ella Jacobs intercepted a crosser and a subsequent corner ended with a shot wide right, and the Roughriders started bringing pressure again. Morgan Hesse looked primed for a breakaway shot before Wildcat defender Hailey Hale ran her down and cleared the ball away.

"In the second half, I think we were definitely more driven to the 50-50 balls," Wilson said. "Possession improved, switching fields, and we had many more opportunities, and then we finally got them to go."

A minute later, Fast took the ball down the right side and sent another crossing pass to Ruppert in the middle, who had a moment this time to frame her shot. She buried it in the left side, well past a diving Bailey, to break the scoreless tie.

Bath (4-6-3, 3-4-1 WBL) took its first shot on goal of the second half three minutes later, a shot across the net from Karlie Wallace that Jacobs easily scooped up, but couldn't muster a sustained attack. Fast tucked a shot inside the left post with 3:40 remaining to effectively seal the game.

It was a strong bounce back from the St. Marys offense after a lackluster first half, in which the Roughriders failed to take a shot on goal or generate a corner.

"The possession in the first half was not where it needed to be," Wilson said. "They were winning more of the 50-50 balls, which in turn was affecting the possession. We had a few opportunities, not enough, in the first half."

St. Marys did have one near miss in the first half, as Hesse sent a long pass to the back post and Rable knocked it in with 6:50 to go. Even as the shot hit home, a whistle blew and the goal was waved off on an offsides call.

But the Roughriders didn't flinch, surviving a Bath onslaught to preserve the tie. Jacobs made one save and picked up a pair of Wildcats passes in the final three minutes, then charged a long pass down the middle to clear it a step ahead of an oncoming Hadyn O'Donnell.

Jacobs and the Roughriders finished out their ninth shutout of the year in 16 games. Jacobs, who only faced two shots on Tuesday, has allowed a total of six goals this season.

"They've been doing it all season long," Wilson said. "The few we've given up have been really, really good shots."

St. Marys has a week off before traveling to Celina to wrap up the regular season. The tournament starts Oct. 18, with the draw set for Sunday.