When Dixie Heights and St. Henry met in the regular season, Dixie rolled to a 4-0 win in regulation. This time, it took just over 85 minutes to find the breakthrough.
Tournament MVP Tessa Schmidt delivered the decisive moment, slotting home the match’s lone goal 15 seconds into the second overtime to secure the Colonels’ 1-0 victory and sixth straight district championship Wednesday night at Gumz Family Field in Erlanger.
“None of us wanted to go to PKs,” said Schmidt. “We knew in those last five minutes we had a chance to end it, and there was so much energy on the field. We finally found a way to put it in the back of the net, and I’m really proud of how we finished.”
Hailey Hall and Hadley Greene were credited with assists, while goalkeeper Reese Ragan posted her sixth shutout of the season with four saves.
Joining Schmidt on the All-Tournament Team were Hall and Madelyn Kriger from Dixie; Ava Waymeyer and Jada Purcell from St. Henry; Macy Gumm from Villa Madonna; and Kiley Huff from Ludlow.
The Colonels (7-9-5) will face one of the other three district runner-ups in the 9th Region tournament — Cooper, Notre Dame or Beechwood, or Newport Central Catholic.
“I feel like this will give us a boost,” Schmidt said. “Our season has been a little rough, but we’re starting to figure it out and I think winning districts is going to help us with our confidence.”
The Crusaders (7-10) potential opponent will be Conner, the winner of Notre Dame/Beechwood, or Highlands in the opening round.
More photos below, provided by Charles Bolton:
