Ohio Wesleyan University Athletics

Ohio Wesleyan 1, Amherst 0

DELAWARE, OHIO -- It takes a big-time goal to win a big-time game, and that's exactly what senior forward Katy Sturtz (Worthington/Columbus Watterson) provided as Ohio Wesleyan defeated Amherst (Mass.) on Saturday at Roy Rike Field to win its first-ever NCAA Division III championship in women's soccer.

The national title is the third for Ohio Wesleyan, following crowns in men's basketball in 1988 and men's soccer in 1998.

Sturtz broke a scoreless tie with 7:45 left in the first half. Freshman defender Deborah Lochner (Bexley) sent the ball across from the left side and Sturtz trapped it with her chest at the top of the box. Continuing toward the right side of the box, she turned and fired a shot that Amherst keeper Brooke Diamond could only watch sail into the top left corner of the goal.

"I'm not saying it was luck, but I've done it before," Sturtz said. "It felt right and it went in. I feel great -- we've worked four years for this. My dream finally came true. I'm just proud of the team -- I couldn't do it without them."

"That was a world-class goal, one of the best goals I've seen," said Ohio Wesleyan head coach Bob Barnes. "She turns, hits it upper corner -- the goalkeeper didn't have a chance."

"(The game) wasn't lost on a mistake," said Amherst head coach Michelle Morgan. "You don't want to lose a national championship on a mistake, you want them to earn it. (Ohio Wesleyan) definitely earned it."

Ohio Wesleyan controlled play for most of the first half, putting together a scoring opportunity in the first 2 minutes on a direct kick into the box, but Sturtz couldn't quite get to the ball and Diamond corralled it wide of the goal.

The Bishops had another dangerous chance midway through the period after a corner kick. The ball was sent in and headed by sophomore defender Amy Work (Westerville/South), but the Lord Jeff defense cleared the ball away.

Diamond made her first save of the game with 19:02 left in the half, snaring a header by senior forward Erin Croasmun (Ventura, Calif./St. Bonaventure) near the left post.

Ohio Wesleyan kept up the pressure and got shots from sophomore forward Erika Howland (Terrace Park/Mariemont) and Sturtz after a restart with 10:14 remaining in the half. Two minutes later, a Bishop corner kick was sent toward the top of the box and a shot by senior defender Katie Buchert (Middletown) went over the crossbar.

The Bishops won the ball back after the ensuing goal kick, setting up Sturtz' goal. The score was the first allowed in the first half by Amherst in its last 8 games, and marked only the second time in the last 15 games that the Lord Jeffs trailed in the first half.

Looking for the tying goal, the Lord Jeffs started speedy striker Lee-Jay Henry in the second half, and the move nearly paid off instantly. Henry took a run into the box in the second minute of the second half, but her shot was blocked by Work and caromed off Henry and over the end line.

Meanwhile, the Lord Jeffs were shutting down the Bishop offense. Ohio Wesleyan's best 2 chances in the first part of the second half came on direct kicks by freshman defender Toni Frissora (Columbus/Westerville South), the first of which was wide and the second whistled dead when the Bishops were ruled offside.

Henry took another run into the box midway through the half, beating a pair of Bishop defenders with a slick move, but senior midfielder Megan Forman (Sunbury/Big Walnut) came over to break up the play.

Amherst's best chance came with 15:15 to play after the Lord Jeffs were awarded a corner kick. Amherst midfielder Jenny Rossman sent the ball into the box, and Lord Jeff midfielder Cathy Poor got a head on it only to see the ball bounce off the crossbar. The Bishops got the ball out of the box but it went to Rossman along the left end line, and she played it back in to Poor, whose left-footed shot again hit the crossbar. This time, Ohio Wesleyan was able to clear the ball and defuse the threat.

The Lord Jeff defense kept the game close, holding Howland without a shot after she got to a through ball from Sturtz with 8:50 remaining in regulation time, and then holding the Bishops without a shot after a corner kick with 3:50 to play.

Amherst's last try came in the closing seconds on another through ball that Henry was unable to catch up to. Bishop keeper Mindy Hammond (Columbus/DeSales) covered the ball with 20 seconds to play, and the Bishops were able to run out the clock.

Amherst coach Michelle Morgan discounted talk of the end of the Cinderella run of the Lord Jeffs. "We felt we really deserved to be here. We didn't think we would be early on, (because of) injuries and illnesses, but once we got people healthy and back together we got back on a winning streak. I give Ohio Wesleyan a lot of credit -- they got the break you need and they were able to finish it off."

Ohio Wesleyan outshot Amherst, 11-8, but the Lord Jeffs held a 6-5 advantage in the second half. Diamond made 2 saves in the Amherst goal, while Hammond had 1 save for the Bishops.

Both teams finished their seasons with school-record win totals. Ohio Wesleyan's 22 wins established school and North Coast Athletic Conference records, while the 16-5-1 mark posted by the Lord Jeffs is the best in Amherst history.

Poor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player on offense, while Bishop defender Akeya Terrell (Gahanna/Westerville North) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player on defense. Terrell was joined by Sturtz, junior forward Emily Bayer (Medina), and Buchert on the all-tournament team.