Norwayne uses second half scoring bonanza to top Mansfield Christian

MANSFIELD – Two years ago Peyton Zollinger and his Norwayne teammates got a taste of regional tournament action losing in a shootout to Beachwood in the semifinals.

Wednesday evening at Ashland Community Stadium, the Bobcats found themselves back in a regional semifinal against Mansfield Christian and made program history in a 5-1 win advancing to their first regional championship.

“We have worked for this for four years,” Zollinger said. “I dressed as a sophomore when we lost in regional semifinals … this year we’re graduating a lot of seniors, so it was the year.”

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In miserable conditions with sideways steady rain and intermittent downpours, the Bobcats controlled the first half but could not break down the Flames’ defense. And just before halftime, it was Mansfield Christian who found a breakthrough on a lobbed through ball that skipped on the turf and over the defense where Jacoby Dickinson was able to latch onto it and slot past Norwayne’s Garrett Ponting with 41 seconds to go in the half.

“We spent too long settling into the game,” Mansfield Christian coach Kaedon Anderson said. “When we did, we started playing our style of soccer and had a lot of success. There was a lot of confidence coming into the second half and we anticipated to start the second half the way we finished the first. We made a few defensive adjustments in anticipation for them.”

What the Flames couldn’t anticipate was the tenacity the Bobcats opened the second half with. A shot from Lysander Bauman deflected off a Mansfield Christian player and out for a corner kick with 32:20 on the clock. Up steps Zollinger who proceeds to score an olimpico directly from the corner in the 49th minute to bring the teams level.

“I knew when I hit it that someone was getting it or I was scoring it,” Zollinger said. “I felt the wind in the air, hit it, and it went in.”

Over the next 11 minutes, though, it would go from an even match to a commanding three-goal lead for Norwayne as Bauman buried a cross into the back of the net followed by Zollinger’s second on a nearly 40-yard free kick, then Bauman laid off a ball to Erik Neruda who hit it on the half-volley past Mansfield Christian’s Joshua Hillman in goal.

“We anticipated them to start the second half that way … and I think some unfortunate calls (affected us),” Anderson said. “A corner given to them that we thought went the other way, and they score off it. A foul we didn’t think was a foul, they score off it. Things like those are game-changing moments and we’re a young team … you can’t expect them to be held to a standard of how you manage those moments when they’ve never been in them.

“But four goals in 11 minutes kills your morale.”

Five goals in 16 minutes was irrecoverable as Sintay Maibach iced the match with exactly 15:00 on the clock for the Bobcats’ final goal of the night.

“We were able to pin them and really get up the field … and we told them the guys are going to maybe sit a little bit, so throw the ball in front of the box, cause some chaos, and maybe put a couple in,” Norwayne coach Jake Zimmerly said. “We had to win the second half and we knew the ball was moving, so anytime they had an opportunity to look at the goal, look at the goal.

“Make the challenges, make sure you get after it after we shoot, and follow anything up. Mansfield Christian is a great team, but the boys really turned it on the second half.”

And it was exactly what they needed to build some confidence heading into Sunday’s regional championship against an Ottawa Hills team ranked eighth in Division V.

“We haven’t scored many goals against tougher teams,” Zollinger said. “I think once we found the back of the net, we just had to keep going.”

And because of that, they get to keep going to uncharted territory.

“It’s a step we’ve been talking about,” Zimmerly said. “We’ve been to and won the district, we’ve been to regionals but never been able to quite get over that hump. This year, it’s great to finally finally get over that hump and the boys are excited.”

Contrasting Norwayne’s excitement was Mansfield Christian’s emotional exit for seniors William Kruse, Dawson Loose, and Joshua Hillman. But mixed with those melancholic emotions were optimism, hope, and passion.

“It has been incredible,” Anderson said. “For a first year coaching staff to step in with these guys, they led without ever being asked to leah. They took their seniority and experience and capitalized on it. You couldn’t ask for better guys in the locker room, outside of the soccer field … and the way they put in work. First ones there, last ones to leave … they set that themselves and it was so icredible. And they’re incredible followers of Jesus, they’re guys that are going to go on to do terrific things in life. It made it a joy for us as a coaching staff

“Seven of our 11 guys are underclassmen right now … so the reality of a young team making it to regional semifinals, there’s excitement for us as a coaching staff to see what the future holds.”

zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Norwayne uses second half scoring bonanza to top Mansfield Christian