MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Beavercreek (Ohio) Beavers have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its eighth year honoring girls soccer.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For soccer, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 34,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Beavers ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Strongsville 4-2 in the
OHSAA Division I state championship contest on Friday, November 9 marked the completion of an incredible 24-0 season — and earned Beavercreek an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Beavercreek ran out to a 4-0 halftime advantage before holding on for the two-goal win over the Mustangs. Marcella Cash scored from outside of the box in the 14th minute to put the Beavers up 1-0. Ella Bianco then got in on the action, scoring twice in a little over four minutes, when she cashed in on a free kick and provided the game winner with a header on a corner kick. Cash then got the ball to Diana Benigno, who provided an insurance goal in the 40th minute to round out Beaver scoring.
Strongsville tried to make it interesting in the second half, scoring on a penalty in the 64th minute and on a corner kick in the 75th minute, but Beavercreek's typical fast start and first half efficiency was too much for the Mustangs to overcome as Beavercreek went on to win their first girls state soccer title. Lauren Galloway earned the win in goal after making eight saves in the contest.
Beavercreek opened postseason play with a 4-1 trouncing of Lakota West. Then, following a 2-0 blanking of Mount Notre Dame, the Beavers kicked in the door to the Final Four with a 3-0 triumph over Mason. Beavercreek bumped Bishop Watterson from championship contention with a 2-1 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Strongsville.
The Beavers opened the season with a 4-1 win over Dublin Jerome. Then, following a 3-0 blanking of Lebanon, Beavercreek ran off another 22 wins on its way to the school's first girls state soccer title. Steve Popp's club outscored its opposition by an incredible 140-7 margin. Beavercreek's 140 goals scored last fall is the second highest total in Ohio state history, falling short of Findlay's 199 goals scored in 2000. The Beaver's posted 19 shutouts on the year and held 22 foes to one goal or less. Beavercreek scored a season-high 10 goals each in shutout wins over Fairmont and West Carrollton.
Having won all 24 matches in 2018, Beavercreek set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Beavers the top-ranked
Division I team in MaxPreps' Ohio rankings, Beavercreek is the best girls soccer team in all of
Ohio. The Beavers are ranked No. 12 in
MaxPreps National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Beavercreek Beavers an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium as we celebrate with the girls soccer team, coaching staff, students and fans on Friday, December 14 at approximately 7:30 p.m. at halftime of the boys basketball game.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.