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Copley senior Sasha Haverchak, seen here earlier in the season against St. Vincent-St. Mary, scored twice to lead Copley over Brunswick in the sectional final on Wednesday.
COPLEY, Ohio – Copley girls soccer coach Wally Senk didn’t mince words following his Indians’ 2-0 win over Brunswick on Wednesday in Brunswick Division I sectional championship.
With Sasha Haverchak leading the way, third-seeded Copley (9-5-3) handled everything the Blue Devils (4-10-2) threw at the Indians to win.
The difference?
Haverchak, who scored both goals for the squad.
“It’s been like that every single game,” Senk said. “I might be a little bit biased, but I think opposing coaches will tell you the same, she’s arguably the best player on the field no matter who we play.
“For a lot of girls, everything is still in fast forward. For her, she gets the ball and it’s in slow motion. She can see things going on two or three steps ahead of time, which are great attributes. She’s a deal-breaker in every single game.”
The Ohio University recruit, who has 17 goals and five assists this season, was a one-girl wrecking crew for Copley against Brunswick.
She rifled a shot past Erin Calhoun from 17 yards out in the first half to open the scoring and closed things out from 30 yards away on a free kick in the second half.
The Suburban League co-champs outshot the Blue Devils 14-4 on the evening, but every time Haverchak touched the ball, Copley fans held their collective breath.
“She’s the best player in the state in my opinion,” Senk said. “Again, it’s a biased opinion, but I haven’t seen anyone better.”
While Haverchak was a ray of sunshine in a driving rain at InfoCision Field, the Indians didn’t see a cloud in the sky all evening.
Most of that had to do with a streak the team finally snapped.
In a bracket that used to make area coaches cringe, Copley hadn’t made it to a district semifinal since 2003.
The Indians would win a sectional opener here and there, but there was always a Medina, Strongsville, North Royalton or someone of that ilk to slam the door.
Now, Copley will face either fourth-seeded Wooster (12-3-2) or fifth-seeded Highland (9-4-2) at home on Tuesday.
“It’s big for them,” Senk said. “It’s an icebreaker. Now, we don’t come in hoping to get past a sectional final, we want out of the district. Nothing will stop them. It’s never good enough until they get to Columbus.”
Those sentiments were shared by defenders Brooke Brenner, Emma Fish, Courtney Campbell and Taylor Greenspan, who stoned any attack Brunswick mustered.
But they especially rang true for Haverchak, who can’t wait until Tuesday to play again.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Haverchak said. “Now, we know we have the ability to get past this step. It’s been eight years. But we won’t be satisfied until we make it to state.”
In other girls postseason matches:
CUYAHOGA VALLEY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2, CHAGRIN FALLS 1. At Cuyahoga Falls, juniors Christine Najjar and Kimmie Orihel each scored goals to lead the Royals to a sectional win in the Kent Division II District tournament.
The Royals will face rival St. Vincent-St. Mary on Saturday in the sectional final.
CVCA (12-5-0) got a last-second save from goalkeeper Leslie Adams who deflected a Chagrin Falls shot on goal that would have tied the match in the closing seconds.
Chagrin Falls’ goal was scored by senior Preston Mendel.
COVENTRY 0, ALLIANCE 0 (COVENTRY ADVANCES ON PKs, 3-2). Coventry and Alliance battled through two full halves and two overtime periods with neither side being able to crack the other’s defense. Finally Coventry won on penalty kicks as Hannah Whitesel, Alexis Gross and Ashley Tetweiler scored.
Alexis Gross made 12 saves in goal for Coventry, which will play at Archbishop Hoban on Saturday in a sectional final in the Brunswick Division II District tournament.
GARRETTSVILLE GARFIELD 1, PYMATUNING VALLEY 0. Jackie Tabor scored the match’s only goal off an assist from Megan Kenesky to lead the G-Men.
Garrettsville Garfield will play Saturday at Warren Champion in a sectional final of the Kent Division III District tournament.
RAVENNA 2, CRESTWOOD 0. At Ravenna, senior Malorie Gibson scored twice to lead the Ravens over Crestwood.
Ravenna (8-7-2) plays Saturday at top-seeded Walsh Jesuit (14-0-2) in a Kent Division II sectional final.
RITTMAN 5, BLACK RIVER 1. At Rittman, Sydney Wagner scored for the Pirates (3-13-1); however, Rittman will advance to play state-ranked and No. 1 seed Chippewa for a Brunswick Division III sectional title.