XENIA — Miamisburg coach Bob Bobbitt was the first to say how Thursday’s 4-1 win over host and ninth-seeded Xenia wasn’t indicative of how close the match was played, but a few defensive breakdowns and a beauty of a free kick helped the visiting Vikings claim the Division I sectional tournament first-round win, Oct. 19 at Doug Adams Stadium.
“Yes and no,” Bobbitt said when asked if the earlier 3-2 win on Oct. 9 had helped Miamisburg (6-11-0) get ready for Thursday’s match. “It gave us some momentum, but the score really doesn’t tell the story of this game. That was a hard-fought game.”
After a scoreless first half, Miamisburg, the No. 10 seed, scored the first goal of the match in the 45th minute. A ‘Burg pass slipped by a pair of Xenia defenders, and Autumn Arthur found it on the right side to quickly punch home a kick for the score.
Xenia’s senior midfielder Marissa Babb led a bull rush attack by the Buccaneers (8-8-1) in the 47th minute. Alexis Claybaugh took advantage of the pass to her and the sophomore forward scored from close range to tie the match up at 1-all.
Miamisburg’s go-ahead goal with 21:11 left to play appeared to be setup almost like the Vikings’ first. This time, senior forward Ashlie Johnson drove deep into the right side of Xenia territory, then dumped off a pass to Alisa Arthur who scored from close range into the left side of the Bucs goal.
Alisa Arthur scored again with 12:39 left to play. The freshman forward was camped out on the right side, and when Xenia goalie deflected a high-end shot on goal from the left side, Arthur was there to knock in the rebound from the right.
‘Burg’s final goal with just under four minutes to go was one of those scores that fans on both sides just have to sit back and marvel.
Viking defender Alison Gregory launched a high free kick from about 25 yards away that glanced off the crossbar and upper-left post and bounced in untouched for the score. There wasn’t much Xenia’s net minder could do about a perfect shot like that.
The goals by Gregory and Autumn Arthur were the first for both Miamisburg players this season.
First-year Xenia coach Harold DeLotelle said he looks forward to having more time to prepare his players in the offseason. He said he has the gym reserved for an off-season camp already.
“I only had four months with them. It’s hard to switch them over to how I want them to play, from the way they used to play, in that short amount of time,” DeLotelle said. “The big thing about this bunch is that they never stopped working. Their mettle and aggressiveness was good. I think our dilemma tonight was marking Miamisburg players in the back. That’s what kind of beat us throughout the season.
“I really enjoyed teaching them the game of soccer. We won the (Greater Western Ohio Conference, American South). I’ll miss the seniors. It’s hard to beat us twice, but Miamisburg did. I wish them well.”
The Vikings will next take on top-seeded Springboro (14-1-2). Springboro was a 9-0 winner of a Thursday first-round match with Fairborn. The Miamisburg-Springboro match will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 at Centerville’s soccer stadium.
