JACKSON TWP. — The new format of the OHSAA Division I high school girls soccer tournament doesn’t give teams much of a chance to ease into a tournament run. The Jackson Polar Bears made sure to create some momentum in their opener against Parma Normandy.
Emerson Karageorge scored one goal and had four assists to help lead Jackson to an 8-0 victory over the Invaders. The Polar Bears needed a little over just one half to close the book on their tournament opener. Maggie Soehnlen scored the eighth and final goal for Jackson with 29:05 left to play in the second half to end the contest. Under tournament rules, the game is stopped after a team builds an eight-goal lead.
While it’s easy to focus on the offense, the Jackson defense had a great deal to do with the end result.
“The girls applied a lot of pressure,” Jackson head coach Frank Gagliardi said. “I think our defensive speed caused a lot of problems for them and helped us get off to a good start.”
Normandy rarely entered Jackson territory and managed just one shot on goal. Karageorge and her teammates made sure to take advantage of the effort early and often.
“We felt like we had a lot of positive energy coming into the game,” Karageorge said. “We were ready to play and we put in a really good effort tonight. We were excited for this opportunity. I’m a senior and this is the last tournament run for us. A lot of us have been playing together since we have been 7 years old and we’re not ready for this to end. We’re hoping to have the best tournament run of our careers.”
Jackson also got two goals from Addision Niemi, two goals from Maggie Soehnlen and one goal each from Rebekah Yoder, Campbell Wood and Isabella Laskovski. The Polar Bears got two assists from Wood, one from Ellen Chiofolo and one from Niemi.
“We were ready to play tonight,” Wood said. “I think we’ve really come together as a team. We know the tournament is a difficult environment. You have to play every second like it is your last because it could be. You just don’t know. We want to make sure we leave everything out on the field.”
Wood recently verbally committed to the University of Dayton.
Jackson improves to 11-3-3 with the win. The Polar Bears advance and will play Mentor (12-5-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday, at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium in a district final. Mentor defeated Brunswick 2-1 in overtime on Monday.
“The level of competition in the new format takes a big step up quickly,” Gagliardi said. “… The next game will present us with a challenge. We have to make sure we are prepared.”
Here is how the game unfolded through our live updates.
This game is now over. Maggie Soehnlen scores with 29:05 remaining to make it an 8-0 win for Jackson. Campbell Wood is credited with the assist. The game is called if a team holds an eight goal lead during the OHSAA Tournament. Brunswick has tied Mentor 1-1 on the other side of the bracket.
Rebekah Yoder gives Jackson another goal with 30 minutes to play. Emerson Karageorge had yet another assist for the Polar Bears on the play. That is the fourth assist of the night for Karageorge. Jackson leads Normandy 7-0.
Addision Niemi has found the back of the net for the second time tonight for the Polar Bears. Niemi scores her second goal with 35:15 to play. Emerson Karageorge had the assist for Jackson. Karageorge now has three assists. Jackson leads Normandy 6-0. We now have a running clock for this game.
Jackson leads Normandy 5-0 in this OHSAA Division I tournament game. Normandy will begin the second half with possession.
Jackson holds a commanding 5-0 lead over Normandy at halftime. Jackson leads in shots on goal 11-1. The Polar Bears hold a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks. Mentor leads Brunswick 1-0 at halftime on the other side of the bracket. The winner of that game will play the winner of this game at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium.
Isabella Laskovski has extended the Jackson lead to 5-0 with 15:02 here to play in the first half. Addison Niemi is credited with the assist for Jackson. Niemi now has one goal and one assist tonight.
Normandy recorded its first shot on goal with 17:05 to go in the first half but Jackson goalkeeper Elizabeth Rozmajzl made a diving save for Jackson. Rozmajzl is an Ohio State University recruit and has recorded multiple shutouts this season for the Polar Bears. Jackson maintains a 4-0 lead.
Jackson leads Normandy 4-0 with 20 minutes to go in the first half. Jackson has seven shots on goal and two corner kicks so far. Emerson Karageorge has a goal and two assists so far for the Polar Bears.
Maggie Soehnlen scores a goal for Jackson with 24:55 to go in the first half. The ball was bouncing toward the goal and Soehnlen redirected it past the goalkeeper for the score. Ellen Chiofolo records the assist on the play for Jackson. Polar Bears lead Normandy 4-0.
Jackson continues to pile up points early. The Campbell Wood and Emerson Karageorge combo strikes again with 29:28 to play in the first half. Wood scores the goal this time off the assist by Karageorge. That is the second assist of the night for Karageorge. Jackson looks impressive early. Polar Bears lead 3-0.
Jackson’s Emerson Karageorge scores on a clean look on a great pass from Campbell Wood with 30:23 to play. The Polar Bears now lead Normandy 2-0. Jackson has three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of play.
Jackson has taken the lead. Addison Niemi just scored the first goal of the game off a nice pass by Emerson Karageorge with 33:15 to play in the first half. Karageorge had a good look but the extra pass paid big dividends. Jackson 1, Normandy 0.
Jackson hasn’t scored a goal yet but the Polar Bears are applying plenty of pressure to the Invader defense early. The Polar Bears have had two shots go wide of the goal and just earned a corner kick moments ago with 35:15 to play in the first half.
The Normandy vs. Jackson OHSAA girls soccer game is set to get underway. The Polar Bears will begin the first half with possession. Normandy will get possession to start the second half. Should be a great game!
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On X: @chickmanrep
