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Celina players celebrate after a shutout win over Wapakoneta that clinched a share of its first title since 2016 at Ryan Field in Wapakoneta.
WAPAKONETA - The 16th win of the season for Celina was truly a sweet one.
The Bulldogs wrapped up a share of their first Western Buckeye League boys soccer title since 2016 with a dominant 5-0 win over Wapakoneta at Ryan Field on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs (16-1-0) got their 13th clean sheet of the year and allowed just one goal each in their three other wins. The lone defeat came a month ago at the hands of Shawnee, 2-1.
"We talked about finishing the job," said Celina coach Ryan Jenkins, who will receive a WBL Coach of the Year honor in guiding the team to the program's sixth overall title. "We got a good early goal."
Shawnee's 3-1 win over Kenton allowed the Indians to share the title along with St. Marys, who beat Bath 4-0 as all three teams end league play with 8-1 records.
Jenkins noted it was the first time the Redskins (9-7-1, 3-5-1 WBL) had been shut out this season. Wapakoneta did not record a shot or a corner kick in the match.
Celina had approximately 18 shots on goal and 10 corner kicks and dominated possession for long stretches, with Wapakoneta only able to go on the attack for a few brief periods.
Senior forward Wyatt Chapman got things rolling with a score about a minute in. The Redskins then managed to keep it 1-0 until the midpoint of the first half. At 21:45, Nelson Chapman knocked a shot past Redskins keeper Ian Tester to make it 2-0.
Celina's Crofford Black goes up for a header amid a scrum of Wapakoneta defenders.
Celina had a shot by Carter Jeffries and a header by Crofford Black turned away over the next few minutes.
With about 12 minutes left, Wapakoneta finally was able to get a push toward the Bulldogs end, but Celina quickly took it back the other way. At 11:33, Caleb Stephenson set up a shot by Nelson Chapman, which hit off the bottom of the post and traveled over the line for his second goal.
Celina's Nelson Chapman dribbles past Wapakoneta's Ryan Schesselman. Chapman scored two of the Bulldogs' five goals.
A shot by Karsyn Smalley with just under seven minutes to go missed near the right corner of the net. Another quick shot with three minutes to go was collected by Tester.
After the intermission, Celina continued to control matters in the second half. With 29 minutes to go, Max Baumstark was injured in a collision with a teammate. He was helped off the field after being attended to by the training staff.
Wapakoneta was awarded a direct kick with 27 minutes to go, but Kyle Beach's effort sailed well above the net.
Celina then expanded its margin with a goal by Austin Loughridge off a corner kick (26:10) and a direct kick score by Jake Knapke from the top of the box (22:47).
The rest of the contest saw Celina get a number of players game experience as the Bulldogs worked to maintain the shutout.
Celina opens the Division II tournament on Monday at the soccer stadium with Van Wert. The Bulldogs shut out the Cougars 17-0 on Sept. 7. The winner advances to the district semis on Oct. 23 at Elida.
"Everyone has a fresh start," said Jenkins about the postseason. "We will celebrate tonight and get back to work."
