BELLVILLE, OHIO - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats (18-0-2) and the Saint Charles Prep Cardinals (12-6-3) met in the State Semifinal on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year's state championship. The two teams previously met on September 9th, when the Wildcats prevailed 4-0 at home. Ryan Sullivan, an Ohio State commit for the Cardinals, did not play in the losing efforts.
The Cardinals' road to the final four began dominantly in districts, as they outscored opponents 10-0, including wins over Pickerington North and Pickerington Central. The regional games were much closer for St. Charles Prep, with a 2-1 victory over Dublin Coffman and a 2-0 win over a tough Centerville squad.
The Wildcats swept through their first three games of the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 22-0 with wins over Whitmer, Cleveland Heights, and Medina. The Regional Final game against Perrysburg was much closer; however, the Cats advanced with a 1-0 win.
The State Semifinal match started back and forth, with momentum swinging toward the Cardinals early, as
Russell Nank was issued a yellow card for a tackle that forced the Wildcats to bring in a sub.
Both teams had their chances in the first half, but neither scored, and after 40 minutes of play, the teams headed to the locker room deadlocked at zero.
The Wildcats came out of the half with momentum. They were rewarded when
James Bartlett played a ball ahead from midfield to a streaking
Dom Ruggiero, who gathered onside and made no mistake putting the ball past the goalkeeper and giving the Wildcats a one-goal lead in the 42nd minute.
St. Charles would push for offense when they had multiple chances in the box, but
Johnny Mulloy made a handful of crucial saves for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats had their chance to extend their lead a short time later on a corner kick that found the foot of
Gavin Butler in the box, but his shot was saved, and the game remained 1-0.
With time dwindling, St. Charles made one final push on offense but did not get any shots on goal, as the Wildcat defense held strong, and time expired with the Wildcats on top 1-0, punching their ticket to the State Final.
In the championship match, the Wildcats will take on the Dublin Jerome Celtics (14-3-5). The Celtics were victorious 5-0 in their semifinal match over the St. Xavier Bombers (12-5-4). The Wildcats beat the Celtics 2-1 in the regular-season finale on October 11th. The kickoff will be on Monday, November 10th, at 7 pm at Historic Crew Stadium, as the Wildcats look to win their seventh straight title.
