Girls Regional Soccer: North Ridgeville's strong season ends against nationally ranked Hudson

MACEDONIA — It took a total team effort from North Ridgeville to slow down Hudson, but it still wasn't enough against one of the best teams in the nation. The Rangers defense held strong against a powerful front line, but with the Explorers dominating possession, they finally broke through for a 3-0 win in a Division II, Region 7 semifinal at Nordonia on Tuesday evening. Hudson (19-0) will face Medina Highland (13-5-1) in the Region 7 championship hosted by Brooklyn on Saturday at 6 p.m. North Ridgeville concludes its season at 14-3-2. "This is a special group," North Ridgeville coach Scot Santa said. "We saw the potential and this is the culmination of it all coming together and the girls working hard for each other. They did what was needed for the team, not just for them and their stats, but they did what the team needs. We had a really good season." The Explorers are not just one of the top teams in Ohio, but ranked No. 7 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches most recent poll released Tuesday. Hudson has 13 shutouts on the season, and only three teams have scored multiple goals against its defense. Hudson extended its shutout streak to six games, winning by a combined 39-0. North Ridgeville is only the second team to allow less than four goals during that span. The Explorers have scored 24 goals in the postseason. "They're an incredible side," Santa said. "It wasn't just our back line, it was all 11 players on the field. We knew we were coming in with a defensive job today and they all just packed it in and left it on the line. You see this team is winning by mercy rule the past couple of games and we held them to one in that first half. That wasn't on accident." For the first 31 minutes, North Ridgeville kept Hudson off the board despite being outshot 15-0 for the half with the Explorers putting 10 of their shots on goal. Hudson finally connected with 8:54 left when Kenzie Bezdek delivered a perfect feed from about 30 yards that set up Cameron Murdough with a point-blank look she easily buried. Even though Hudson went on to score two more goals, Rangers sophomore goalkeeper Brynn Blakemore saved 13 of Hudson's 16 shots on goal for the game. The Explorers finished with 29 total shots and eight corner kicks. "We did really good at keeping them and holding them back," Blakemore said. "Compared to what we did at the beginning of the season, we've had such big growth and I'm so proud of us. I'm so proud of how we've bonded together and grown as a team. It's so nice to see all of us grow individually, in the community. It's so hard to say goodbye to this season, but I'm so glad that it happened." Hudson made it 2-0 within the first five minutes of the second half when Hannah Meese scored from 30 yards. The Explorers' final goal came off a free kick from Meese that found Alyssa Maniar on the left wing with 26:50 to play. North Ridgeville's opportunities were limited, recording just two shots on the evening, neither of them on goal. The first came with 37:05 left to play when senior Addy Schuster got off an attempt from 30 yards that went wide of the left post. The second came at the 10-minute mark of the second half off a nice set play. Kai Antonio created a nice look on the right wing for Schuster off a free kick, but the senior's shot sailed wide left. "They have such great control on the ball," Santa said of Hudson. "Their touch is pristine, their passes are pristine. So when you get a chance to get ahold of the ball you've got to keep it, but then they're right there to press you again. They have a really, really strong program. We created a couple of chances on our end, but it was tough." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.