THE FUTURE OF LOCAL SPORTS

The Ontario girls soccer squad hasn't won an outright MOAC championship since joining the league and have rarely defeated Clear Fork during the regular season, but a 1-0 win for the Lady Warriors over their Richland County rivals got them one step closer to obtaining that elusive title.

 

A scoreless first half battle saw Ontario dictate most of the action as they lived in Lady Colts territory but were unable to capitalize on their run of play. Keeper Torri Curry made 9 saves and battled through a leg injury suffered late in the first half to keep Clear Fork in the game, but couldn't hold off a barrage of Lady Warriors set-pieces to start the second half.

 

With just over nine minutes gone back in the second stanza, an Amelia Carmack corner kick found sophomore defender Ava Ruhe for a perfectly executed header for the only goal of the match.

 

Senior keeper Sydney wasn't challenged often, but she would make a game-winning save in the closing minutes on a hard shot from Clear Fork's Avery Wend. The athletic play helped preserve a shutout win for the Lady Warriors, the teams third in a row, as they now take the upper hand in conference play with just three MOAC matches remaining.

 

Ontario (5-1-2) will next host Shawnee while Clear Fork (4-3-0) will face River View at home.