HAMILTON — The Badin High School girls soccer team hasn’t lost since Sept. 6. Braelyn Even said she doesn’t want to know what that feels like again.
The sophomore forward put the Rams on the board with an early goal, senior Morgan Creech scored her third postseason goal and sophomore keeper Blake Sakach held off a late Monroe surge to give Badin a 2-1 Division II district semifinal victory on Monday night at Hamilton’s Virgil Schwarm Stadium.
“I think we’re all full in. We’re in 100 percent,” Even said. “I think it’s going to be tough for us to lose. I think we have a good shot.”
No. 5 Monroe (8-5-6) brought a three-game winning streak into Monday’s match, while No. 3 Badin (13-3-3) improved its unbeaten streak to 14 games.
The Rams face Mercy McAuley — a 3-2 overtime winner over Roger Bacon — on Thursday for a district championship at 7 p.m. at Kings.
“I thought we played explosive,” Badin coach Chris Slusher said. “Obviously we got two goals, but we left a lot of goals on the table.
“I wasn’t too happy with the final minute of the game,” Slusher added. “But we won it, and we’re moving on. I’m proud of my girls. I thought they showed a lot of grit and fight.”
Monroe’s Hannah Zimmerman scored with 9:58 left to play to cut Badin’s lead to 2-1. The Hornets made a final push in the waning minutes but were unsuccessful.
“That was a great game,” Monroe coach Stacey Williams said. “I know people doubted us throughout the season with our record. We had six ties, and we lost a lot of people last year. A lot of people doubted us.
“This team never gave up. That’s what made this team so special,” Williams added. “I say this is one of the toughest teams that I’ve had — just that mentally, when they get down, they’re determined to keep fighting. They don’t put their heads down. They try to capitalize on every opportunity.”
Badin and Monroe tied 2-2 at Monroe on Sept. 25, and both teams have split postseason matches — two apiece — in the last five years. The Hornets knocked the Rams out in 2019 and 2020 in 1-0 contests, while Badin won 1-0 in 2021.
“Down 2-0, we had a lot of great shots. We had a lot of great opportunities,” Williams said. “Badin’s a great team. They definitely have a lot of great offensive weapons. But we put some pressure on them. We made it a game. We didn’t come in here and not put up a fight. These girls gave it everything that they had. That’s all that I can as for as a coach. I couldn’t be any more proud of my girls this season and how they performed postseason. They came out here, again, and caused some chaos.”
Abby Mathews assisted Even on her goal that came with 28:27 left in the first half, and Creech took a pass from Even before she scored at the 33:07 mark of the second half to give Badin its 2-0 lead.
‘KEEPING’ IT REAL
Sakach hadn’t allowed a goal in five straight games until Monday night. She’s logged eight shutouts and has 111 saves on the season.
“She doesn’t get a lot of action back there,” Slusher said. “But when she has to make a play, she makes the play. That’s not easy to do. I’ve got to give her credit for dialing in.”
NEXT PLAYER UP
Badin junior defender Gracie Cosgrove was out with an illness on Monday, and sophomore Addilyn Marshall was knocked out of the game with a minor injury early in the second half.
Slusher said he was impressed with the bench play from sophomores Izzy Stokes and Lydia Kemper, who came in to give the Rams a boost.
“We’ve had some girls step up,” Slusher said. “I love it that it’s a next-woman-up mentality.”
SOCCER MOM
Williams is sending off nine seniors — including her daughter Sarah Deaton, who finished her prep career with 65 goals.
“She’s been pretty special,” an emotional Williams said of Deaton, who will play soccer at Wittenburg. “It’s pretty emotional because she loves the game, and she comes out here and gives it everything that she has. She’s the spark. I couldn’t be more proud of her being her soccer mom. We’ve had a great time — a great four years. It’s emotional to say bye to that.
“I’m excited. She will be doing amazing things at Wittenburg. Her next color will be red. That’ll be a good chapter.”
Williams wrapped up her 11th season as head coach of the Monroe girls soccer program. She coached at Lebanon for nine years prior.
MILFORD 5, FAIRFIELD 1
The No. 14 Indians got a penalty kick goal from Leaha Compton, but the No. 1 Eagles went on to secure the Division I district semifinal victory on Monday. Fairfield finished 9-10-1.
ANDERSON 3, LAKOTA WEST 2, OT
The No. 10 Firebirds fell in overtime in a Division I district semifinal against the No. 6 Raptors. Lakota West finished the season at 10-6-3.
MADEIRA 7, MADISON 0
The No. 8 Mohawks saw their season come to a close in a Division III sectional loss on Monday. Madison finished at 10-9.
