SETTING THE SCENE: Seeking another signature win to add to its resume, the Milford High School girls soccer team travels to Oak Hills on Saturday (Sept. 24) for its only match-up of this week. After a slow start, the Eagles have now won three of their last five matches, including big victories over Mason and Walnut Hills. Saturday’s battle will be another tough one as the Highlanders are currently ranked second in the city according to voting coaches. The Eagles will bring a 4-4-1 mark into the non-conference tilt.
THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s schedule for the upcoming week:
- Saturday, Sept. 24 at Oak Hills, 5:00 p.m.
- 2016 Record: 6-1-0, 3-0-0 GMC (2nd Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)
- Top Scorer: Senior Paige Knorr (7 G, 2 A, 16 pts.)
- Last Meeting: 2015; Milford 2, Oak Hills 0
- Series History: Oak Hills leads 9-6-1
A LOOK BACK: Sept. 13 vs. Anderson: Milford scored three times in the first half to race to a 3-1 win over Anderson at home on Sept. 13. The win came against the Eagles’ Eastern Cincinnati Conference rival that knocked them from last season’s OHSAA Tournament in heartbreaking fashion. Junior Bryn Rolfsen scored a pair of goals, giving her a team-best five on the year, while freshman Ali Claus scored her first career goal and added an assist.
Sept. 17 at Indian Hill: Milford fell to one of the top Division II teams in the area as Indian Hill came away with a 4-1 win over the Eagles on Sept. 17. Senior Holly Barlage scored her second goal of the season in a losing effort for the Eagles.
INSIDE THE ECC: Loveland, ranked third in the state this week in the OSSCA poll, remains the front runner in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference race at 4-0-0 in league play. Milford is just behind at 2-0-1 and is being chased by Turpin at 2-1-1.
A look inside the ECC statistics shows junior Bryn Rolfsen tied for ninth among league players with 11 points, while also showing tied for fifth with five goals. The Eagles’ assist leaders are a pair of freshmen in Ali Claus and Tori Kittrel who are tied for seventh with three helpers this season.
POLL WATCH: The Eagles continue to be favorite of the area coaches this week as they are ranked seventh in the latest Cincinnati Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll that was released on Sept. 19. Loveland is the heavy favorite, picking up 12 of the 15 No. 1 votes that were cast, with No. 2 Oak Hills earning the other three. The remainder of the top-five shows Mount Notre Dame, Fairfield and Mason. The ECC is also represented by Turpin in ninth, along with Walnut Hills and Anderson in the others receiving votes. The coaches’ poll is released every Monday at Noon at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.
LONG TIME COMING: The Eagles picked up a huge victory on Sept. 3 as they upset Mason by a 1-0 score at a sun-drenched Charity J. Lucas Stadium. Junior Bryn Rolfsen found the back of the net for the match’s only score with approximately 30 minutes remaining in the second half. The win pushed the Eagles past the area’s No. 2 ranked team in this week’s Cincinnati Enquirer area coaches’ poll for the first time since the 2011 regular season.