SETTING THE SCENE: With just two weeks and three regular season games remaining, the Milford High School girls soccer team is back in action this week with a pair of match-ups as they look to improve on a 4-6-2 record. The Eagles have just one win and a tie over their last five outings, but remain in second place in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference at 2-0-2. Milford will travel to Kings on Tuesday, looking to improve on that mark, before winding up the home schedule with Senior Day on Saturday against Ursuline.
THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s schedule for the upcoming week:
- Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Kings, 7:00 p.m.
- 2016 Record: 3-5-3, 1-3-0 ECC (NR Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)
- Top Scorer: Sophomore Jordyn Rhodes (7 G, 1 A, 15 pts.)
- Last Meeting: 2015; Milford 3, Kings 1
- Series History: Milford leads 6-1-0
- Saturday, Oct. 8 vs. Ursuline Academy, Noon
- 2016 Record: 3-5-5, 2-0-2 GCL (RV Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)
- Top Scorer: Senior Annabelle Hopper (3 G, 1 A) & Freshman Elise Le (2 G, 3 A) (7 pts. each)
- Last Meeting: 2015; Ursuline 2, Milford 0
- Series History: Ursuline leads 7-4-3
A LOOK BACK: Sept. 27 vs. Glen Este: Junior Bryn Rolfsen saved the day for Milford, helping the Eagles salvage a 2-2 tie with Glen Este by scoring the game-tying goal with just 8.7 seconds remaining during a Sept. 27 contest at Charity J. Lucas Stadium. The Trojans scored first with Kat Richey breaking away from the Milford defense and finding the back of the net with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half. It took the Eagles until the 17:03 mark of the second half to score the equalizer when junior Holly Barlage banged in a Tori Gilman cross for her third goal of the season. Déjà vu struck the Eagles less than four minutes later when Richey again shook loose from the Milford D and converted her second marker of the night. Milford was finally able to muster the tie on Rolfsen’s heroic goal.
Oct. 1 at Lakota West: Freshman Ali Claus scored her second goal of the year, but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles dropped a 4-1 decision at Lakota West on Oct. 1.
THANK YOU SENIORS: Senior Day is scheduled in conjunction with the Eagles’ Oct. 8 home finale against Ursuline. That day, the 2016 Senior Class consisting of McKinley Dumm, Tori Gilman, Taylor Rouse, Madison Wenzler, Hayden White and Amanda Zanola will be honored for their contributions to Milford Soccer.
INSIDE THE ECC: Loveland, ranked among the best teams in Ohio, remains the front runner in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference race at 4-0-0 in league play. Milford remains alive at 2-0-2, but will need help as the league schedule reaches its latter stages.
A look inside the ECC statistics shows junior Bryn Rolfsen tied for eighth among league players with 15 points, while also showing tied for fifth with seven goals. The Eagles’ assist leaders are senior McKinley Dumm, along with a pair of freshmen in Ali Claus and Tori Kittrel who are tied for ninth with three helpers each this season.
POLL WATCH: The Eagles are once again among the area’s top teams according to the weekly Cincinnati Enquirer Division I coaches poll, slipping one spots to 10th this week. State-ranked Loveland is the big favorite of the 19 voting coaches with 17 first place votes. Oak Hills picked up the other two No. 1 mentions and took second, with Mount Notre Dame, Fairfield and Mason rounding out the top-five. The ECC is also represented by Turpin in ninth, along with Walnut Hills and Anderson in 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.