Highland girls soccer powers its way to state finals

by Dan Holland

The Highland High School girls’ varsity soccer team fell 1-0 to Bay High School in a D-III state championship matchup Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus. It was the school soccer program’s first-ever appearance in a state finals matchup.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of this team and this whole program, and it’s an honor and privilege for me to be part of it,” said head Coach Bill Zufall.

Highland and Bay were locked in a defensive battle throughout the entire game when Bay’s Maya Holmes slipped a score in with 12 seconds left in regulation play.

The Hornets recorded 17 shutouts (including playoff games) in the program’s best-ever season, which included its first-ever regional title and most wins ever, with a final tally of 21-2-1 that included going 7-0 in conference play for its first-ever back-to-back first-place finishes in the Suburban League American Conference.

Following a first-game 4-2 loss to perennial powerhouse Walsh Jesuit on Aug. 16, the team had no losses until the state championship game. It recorded one tie during the regular season versus Perrysburg on Sept. 28.

“We actually had, for a while, the toughest D-III schedule in the state of Ohio,” said Zufall. “We did that for a reason – we mainly kept a Division I schedule, because I didn’t know if we would be going D-I, 2 or 3 with all the changes, and I believed that this group is talented enough so that this schedule would help us to prepare for a state run or deep run in the playoffs.”

“Our first game this season was against Walsh Jesuit, who was ranked #1 in the country for a long time, and we were ranked in the top ten,” he continued. “We ended up giving up goals in that game that we normally wouldn’t, but I was thrilled to have that game because it showed us right out of the gate what we had to work on. Following that, every week was another top-ten team in Division I or II, and the girls just responded incredibly well.”

The camaraderie and dedication of the players helped propel the team to new heights this year, said Zufall.

“It goes back to the commitment of the players wanting more and not settling for less – the bad taste left in their mouths from a loss to Strongsville last year in the regional semifinals, or against Walsh Jesuit this year, and not wanting to feel that again,” said Zufall. “It’s really the competitiveness that is created within the unit, and the practices got increasingly more competitive. The success of this year’s team was based on them wanting to go to practices and wanting to continually get better throughout the season.”

Standouts on the team include Zufall’s daughter, junior Vanessa Zufall, a two-time all-Ohio player and team captain. Senior Grace Madison, who was first team all-District, tied Zufall for most goals this season at 19.

Additional standouts include senior and team captain Delaney Miller (first-team all-League); seniors – Camille Hostettler, Marit McLaughlin (a University of Kansas commit), Luisa Fragnoli (a University of Akron commit) and junior Grace Shondel.

This year’s program, which featured approximately 40 players evenly divided between the four grade levels, is expected to carry the high-level of competition into next season, said Zufall.

“Even though we’ll be losing about five starters, we had some underclassmen coming off the bench who were right there, and they all would have probably been starters on any other team,” said Zufall. “We have a few other younger players that didn’t get as much playing time – which I think they will see next year and possibly become starters.”

“I’m really excited about this team’s chances of getting back to the state finals again next year, and if we go that far again, I would be surprised if we lost in that game after the bad taste they had in their mouths from this year.”

Above all, the team has excelled in showing leadership within the school and community, said Zufall.

“This team is about more than just soccer; our team’s cumulative GPA is a 4.1 or higher. And they were very active in the community,” said Zufall. “Back in the spring, we did a lot with our elementary schools in doing a mentoring program. They also did a lot over the summer and fall with the youth programs, and that’s what we cultivate and consider as being true soccer ambassadors; where you’re known in your community and are also elite players.”

“Our girls truly care about each other and love one another, and it was amazing to see the growth of all the players and the team this year,” he added. “We were such a different team from the first week compared to the state finals. Every one of our players got better and better, and they were all committed about knowing their role and wanted the best for the team.” ∞