Walsh Jesuit girls soccer puts past behind them, wins regional final over Magnificat

Reagan Pentz scored in the 51st minute to give the Warriors the win

MACEDONIA, Ohio - The Walsh Jesuit girls soccer team knew what was awaiting them, but first the Warriors had to take of the business at hand on Saturday afternoon in the OHSAA Division I regional final at Nordonia.

The Warriors did just that, as junior Reagan Pentz scored a goal from 31 yards out in the 51st minute to lead the Warriors to a 2-1 win over Magnificat.

"I knew during warmup I was feeling pretty confident in my shots," Pentz said. "So I knew that whenever I would get a step to to rip one and obviously...I just saw my opportunity and took it."

Reagan Pentz finds the net from 31 yards out to give @WalshJWSoccer a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute. Assist to @HannahPachan pic.twitter.com/ODaIGo311W

— Ryan (@Isley23) November 4, 2023

And now what waits for Walsh in the Division I state semifinal is a date with Strongsville, who knocked the Warriors out of the postseason a year ago in the regional final on a goal off a disputed penalty kick late in regulation. 

Strongsville defeated Perrysburg 1-0 in their regional final Saturday and the two will battle on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm at Nordonia for a spot in the Division I state championship game.

Walsh Jesuit girls soccer celebrates winning the regional championship on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Photo credit: Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports   / Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports

Walsh head coach Javier Iriart didn't care who the opponent was going to be, as long as the Warriors were in the state semifinals.

"I know that from my perspective, the only thing I care about is just winning," Iriart said. "If it is Perrysburg good, but Strongsville as well. It's a state final, you know? Every step from here is a state final. So it's about winning."

While the opponent - and the venue - will be the same as a year ago, Walsh has spent the last 12 months trying to erase what happened at Nordonia last November from their memory banks.

"I just don't even think about it, I just think about it as another game," Pentz said. "All right, it's Strongsville. Take the name out of it. If we come out and play the way that we know we can play, that's our job and anything else that happens we can't control so control the controllables."

The head coach also didn't have to worry about getting his players to focus on the task at hand this week instead of looking ahead to a possible rematch with Strongsville, who the Warriors also tied 1-1 earlier this season.

"These kids are so smart, so selfless, so humble, that they're not looking past," Iriart said. "Their mission today was just let's get the win today and let's move to the next."

For goalkeeper Adri Lika, moving past also meant trying to let go of the yellow card she received in last. year's regional final that led to the game-winning penalty kick. And of course, she was tasked with stopping a penalty kick on Saturday in the same net that last year's game-winner was scored in. 

Lika dove to her right and made a clean save on the penalty kick by Magnificat's Gabby Garcia late in the first half.

Adri Lika with a huge PK save for @WalshJWSoccer pic.twitter.com/5CHzXHXg4S

— Ryan (@Isley23) November 4, 2023

"I just read her, how she walked up to the ball and how she shot the PK," Lika said. "It was a pretty big confidence booster for the team. You can tell the spirits just got brought out."

Less than four minutes later, Garcias did find the back of the net to tie the game, equalizing a goal scored by Walsh's Madison Humenik in the game's third minute on a free kick from 35 yards out.

. @maddieills with a goal from 35 yards on a free kick for @WalshJWSoccer in the 3rd minute.

Walsh leads Magnificat 1-0 pic.twitter.com/lZqV77X9vi

— Ryan (@Isley23) November 4, 2023

With the game being played mostly in the Magnificat offensive end for the better part of the start of the second half, Walsh got a chance in transition when Hannah Pachan found Pentz, who launched the shot and fell on her hip as it was sailing into the net.

"It was a little bit of against the run of play," Iriart said of the eventual game-winner. "That's the kind of thing that Reagan (can do), even when we're defending heavy, getting that moment of brilliance where she just is able to pick her head up and get that kind of shot, there's no teaching that."

That goal seemed to reenergize the Warriors, who then started flying around on both sides of the ball.

"I just think just think whenever someone scores, everyone's momentum gets pushed up," Pachan said. "It feels like it was all tilted towards their side for a little bit to start the half because they scored with two minutes left in the first half. And for us to get that goal it really then pushed us up and then we had all the momentum and we were ready to win this and we just finished the game."

And now it is time to focus on the next game, and the Warriors will spend the next couple of days trying to focus on anything but the name of the team they will be playing. 

"It's a pretty good game, but we just have to take out the name Strongsville," Lika said. "Just like we're playing any other team that's good and we're playing the state semis."

 -- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh