BOARDMAN–Berkshire wrapped up a successful 2024 campaign in the Elite Eight, falling to Chippewa 5-0 on Saturday.
The Badgers won the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title, as well as sectional and district championships, and finished the year as regional runners-up.
“It’s been great,” said Berkshire head coach Ian Patterson. “We started the season a little shaky and had some rough games. The girls really grew up. We tied with Champion earlier in the year, then beat them 7-0 a few weeks ago. It was nice for the girls to see their improvement over the year. We’re still not quite there up to Chippewa’s level yet.”
Chippewa drew first blood with a Mia Rodriguez corner kick, which allowed Delaney Marshall to connect on a goal in the third minute.
Marshall found the net again in the 14th minute, giving the Chipps a 2-0 lead at the half.
Chippewa connected on its third goal in the 48th minute off a ricochet shot back into the net.
Emme Donnelly drilled a pair of goals in the 66th and 76th minutes to cap off a regional title for the Chipps.
Berkshire found itself sitting at 3-3-2 after a 1-0 loss to Aurora on Sept. 9, and from that point on, the Badgers rattled off a 9-2-2 record and an Elite Eight appearance.
“We had everybody start clicking,” Patterson said of his side’s second-half surge. “We had a lot of young players this year and had to fill some holes in the lineup, especially offensively. Early in the season, we were wondering where we were going to score our goals, and it came together in the middle of the year with Marissa Karl and Emma Rucinski stepping up on the outsides for us as freshmen and claiming those roles. We just found our groove offensively.”
The Badgers’ youth was put to the test all season long and even during the postseason.
“We built the schedule in preparation for this,” Patterson said. “We built it so that they’re learning from some of the best teams in the area, and we’re ready for the bigger games. We didn’t show it today, but playing those harder schedules really helps the underclassmen build confidence for the future.”
A pair of Berkshire starters set school records throughout the 2024 campaign.
Senior goalkeeper Liv Masink set a new school record with 139 saves, and junior striker Kelly McCandless set school records for most goals in a game (6 in a win over Newton Falls), and for the season with 36.
“Liv didn’t even want to play soccer this year,” Patterson said. “She was on the fence, but she came out, and we made her our starting goalkeeper. She set some school records for us this season with the most saves in a season, and she had an awesome year. As a first-year goalie, we couldn’t ask for much more. We had Kelly breaking a couple of school records, too. Super exciting to have her back next year.”
The Badgers closed out the year with a 12-6-4 record.
OTHER CVC SCORES:
- Chagrin Falls 1, Poland 0
- Columbus Grove 2, Kirtland 0
