The Knights finished 16-1,.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” said Knights coach Jamie Minteer, whose team won an Ohio Heritage Conference championship. this season. “They just had a fantastic season. I think the seniors have done a great job in their leadership abilities and always creating an atmosphere for the younger players to learn and step up to every challenge. They’ve led the way and we’re very, very proud.”
Country Day senior Jada Moorman had two goals and three assists as the Nighthawks (16-0-1) advanced to face Waynesville in a D-III regional semifinal match at 7 p.m. Tuesday at a site to be determined. Waynesville beat Anna 5-0 in a district final match at Bellefontaine.
Country Day jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead midway through the first half. The Knights tried to work its possession style of play, but were unable to keep the ball.
“In order to possess, you’ve got to get to the ball first,” Minteer said. “Hats off to Cincinnati Country Day. They’re fantastic. They’re fast. They’re good in the air and they win every ball. They make it incredibly difficult for their opponent to match up. They’re just excellent in a lot of different areas and all those details, they’re critical in the way that game is going to go.”
The Knights were making their first appearance in a district final match since 2010. They finished with 16 wins, the program’s best mark since 2008.
Greenon also won its first OHC championship in school history. The program’s last conference championship came in 2016 when it won the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division title.
“To have the record we had and face some of the big teams in our league alone and just dominate, I think that was really a victory in itself,” Minteer said. “Anything beyond that was the icing on the cake. We’ve very proud of all of them and all of their efforts.”
The Knights senior class — Hallie Gilley, Emma Schumann and Morgan Paulus — played a key role in the team’s success this season, Minteer said.
“They set the bar high and asked a lot of their younger teammates,” Minteer said. “It’s a matter of preparation, coming to practice and getting the most out of them and doing the little things when no one is watching. They did a great job of that all season. … We had a great bond and that’s the hardest part to now see it over.”
The postseason experience will be key in the future for a Greenon squad that will return nearly its entire roster, Minteer said.
“This is the expectation and you hope they ask the same thing of the next group that comes in,” she said. “We hope to keep this level of play right where it’s at and continue to grow from it. In any year, it would be normal to lose a game or two. This is the first (loss). Now to snap back and respond to a situation like this, learn from and grow from it — that’s what we’re asking the younger class. I think they’ll rise to the occasion.”
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