A few rematches for area teams this week at soccer regionals

Rematch will be the watchword of the regional soccer tournament for a couple of area teams. Today at Lima Shawnee, Ottawa-Glandorf and Riverdale will square off in a Division III girls regional semifinal. The contest is a rematch of a 2022 regional semifinal, which O-G won by a 3-0 score en route to a runner-up finish at state. On Wednesday, Liberty-Benton and Ottoville meet in a Division III boys regional soccer semifinal at Wapakoneta. It too is a rematch, with Ottoville edging the Eagles 1-0 in a late August match between the two schools. Riverdale faces a major challenge in today's regional semifinal at Lima Shawnee. O-G, 19-1-0 and ranked No. 2 in the state poll, was state runner-up the past two years and has been dominating again this season, outscoring its 20 opponents 112-6. Four of those six goals allowed came in a 4-1 loss to state-ranked Perrysburg, a 19-0-1 team that has reached the regional level in Division I. O-G has not allowed a goal in tournament play, blanking Swanton 8-0, Liberty Center 6-0 and Delta 3-0. Riverdale (10-5-5) has scored only 29 goals in 20 matches, but the Falcons have relied on strong defense and an opportunistic offense to reach the regional for the second straight year. Marissa Bonham's 10 goals lead Riverdale, which followed a 5-0 tournament win over Cory-Rawson with two 1-0 victories in district play, the first in overtime against top-seeded Van Buren and the second against No. 2-seed Bluffton. Today's winner will advance to Saturday's regional championship game at Tiffin's Frost-Kalnow Stadium where they will face the winner of today's other semifinal between Eastwood sand Apple Creek Waynedale. Ottoville's 1-0 win over Liberty-Benton in late August may have triggered a turn-around for the Eagles' boys soccer team. They lost their next match as well, also by a 1-0 count to Lima Bath, but they haven't lost since, going 12-0-2 over their last 14 games to take a 13-4-3 overall record into Thursday's rematch with No. 8-ranked and unbeaten Ottoville (19-0-1). Garrett Nealis has led L-B offensively with 23 goals and 19 assists. Aiden Hatch (10 goals, 7 assists), Trevor Ferris (6, 14) and Brice Fox (7, 9) have also bene solid contributors, and the program got an added boost from Jairo Colina, a freshman from Venezuela who has four goals and three assists in his short time with the team. L-B goalie Ben Jenkins has made 62 saves on the season and achieved 10 shutouts, including two in back-to-back 4-0 district tournament wins over Edison and Van Buren. Leading Ottoville this season has been the 1-2 punch of Preston Mansfield and Quinton Schnipke. Mansfield has 31 goals and 15 assists in 20 games; Schnipke has 10 goals and 21 assists. Thursday's winner will advance to Saturday's Division III boys regional final at Clyde where they will take on either Evergreen or Kidron Central Christian. (14-sub head) Leuthold honored COLUMBUS – Former Cory-Rawson volleyball coach Chris Leuthold has been named a 2023 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ohio School Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Monday. Leuthold was the head volleyball coach at Cory-Rawson High School from 1980-2007. After a 15-year retirement he returned this season as head coach and took a team that had won one game the previous two seasons to an 8-15 record. Leuthold amassed 276 wins during his 29-year career as head coach. A lifetime member of the OHSVCA, Leuthold was the Blanchard Valley Coach of the Year in 1985 and received the Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Award from the OHSVCA in 2004. Leuthold initiated the Cory-Rawson Invitation Tournament and has served as president for both District 8 and the Blanchard Valley Conference Volleyball Coaches Associations. Thirty-four of Leuthold's former players have gone on to coach teams of their own, and 29 of his players have gone on careers in teaching. Schedule Tuesday's Events GIRLS SOCCER OHSAA REGIONAL DIVISON III AT LIMA SHAWNEE Ottawa-Glandorf (19-1-0) vs. Riverdale (10-5-5), 7 p.m. Winner vs. Apple Creek Creek Waynedale/Eastwood winner, Saturday, noon, at Frost-Kalnow Stadium, Tiffin