Girls soccer: Columbia shakes off rust, advances to district final, 3–0, in win over Canton Central Catholic
COLUMBIA STATION — Two years ago in a 2022 OHSAA Sectional Final, the Columbia Raiders played at neutral site — Elyria’s Ely Stadium. Columbia’s home field was a slog after a downpour of rain, and the Open Door Patriots wound up pulling an upset of the Raiders that night.
Fast forward two years later to Oct. 22, Columbia drew the No. 2 seed in their Division V bracket, hosting No. 18 Canton Central Catholic in the Raiders’ first district semifinal since 2021.
Following a scoreless first half, freshman Natalie Miller broke the scoreless draw in the 47th minute of play, proving to be enough in the Raiders 3–0 victory. Columbia will face No. 14 Kirtland in a district final Oct. 26 in Brunswick at 7 p.m.
“We haven’t played a game in a week and a half, and against competition that hasn’t been quite up to what we wanted going into the playoffs,” Columbia’s Blaze Pratt said.
“This morning, we found out one of our starters couldn’t play for the rest of the season, so it was definitely a time of adjustment. We were shaking off the rust but at the end of the day, we finally got it figured out and it ended up being a good result.”
Following a 12-day layoff between games, Columbia (16–1–2) managed to shake off the rust during the second half following Natalie Miller’s first score.
“It feels good for all of us,” freshman Natalie Miller said. “I know we all worked really hard for it. Being able to play with my sister (Kaitlyn), especially after goals where we can go up and hug each other after it, it’s really fun and all smiles.”
In Pratt’s first year as a head coach, Columbia has conceded a measly seven goals to their opponents. Even more impressive is the offense scoring 103 goals through Oct. 22. All of this was accomplished by a mostly underclassmen roster.
The Raiders didn’t didn’t field a girls soccer side in 2023, with senior Kaitlyn Miller playing on the boys side. That’s what’s made this 2024 season seem like a fairy tale — as Central Catholic almost scored late in the first half if not for Miller and the backline’s efforts.
“It’s great to be able to have people I can depend on and I know they’re just going to get the ball out,” Kaitlyn Miller noted, notching her 12th clean sheet of the season. “If I make a save and I can’t quite get my hands on it, I know my center backs can kick it out.
“We didn’t even kick it out,” Kaitlyn continued. “We set it up so we could kick the ball to one of our players to kick it out of the box. It was a really good effort and they’ve been really great.
“I think our defensive line works well together, too, and listens to everything I have to say,” Kaitlyn laughed, smiling as she stood by her younger sister Natalie’s side.
Following Natalie Miller’s go-ahead score, freshman Allison Boardman wound up with two goals to end the night — one in the 60th minute of play and the second coming with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.
It’s the final home game of the season, with the Raiders playing at neutral sites going forward as long as they advance.
“As a freshman, I’m excited for this team,” Boardman said. “I know we can go far. We have a lot of potential and I’m excited. This time is fun.”
