PREVIEWING THE OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE TITLE MATCH

Written By:  Thomas Costello
             Central Region Contributor

Tonight, the Ohio Valley Conference will crown its champion when FC Dayton travels north to face Ambassadors Cleveland. It’s a matchup between the 2021 conference-winning Ambassadors and a Dayton side celebrating an already successful expansion season.
 

One month ago, Dayton sat in second place after losing to 2021 Midwestern Conference title-winners Lady Victory FC. With four matches remaining, that loss was a turning point for the WPSL newcomers. In three of its final four matches, Dayton faced three teams all in the hunt for a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference title match.
 

Dayton responded in a big way.
 

A week after losing 1-0 on the road, Dayton faced Lady Victory again – this time on its home field and made a statement, winning 4-1. That victory was its second win in a stretch of four straight victories where Dayton outscored opponents 14-4 and jumped into the top spot in the standings.
 

Dayton stretched its standings lead to eight points and did so with a young roster.
 

Due to scheduling and players returning to their collegiate programs early, Dayton has relied on youth to win. Currently, its oldest player is only 21 and in its 3-2 final regular-season victory against the Cincinnati Sirens, two high schoolers scored goals in Taylor Koch and Dara Russo.
 

Tonight, it’ll be those young players and college staples to watch.
 

Creating goals is local University of Dayton forward Laney Huber. So far in 2022, Huber’s scored eight goals, good for a tie for fifth-most goals in the WPSL. Huber also added an assist in Dayton’s regular season closing match versus the Sirens.
 

In the midfield and at wingback are a pair of University of Cincinnati Bearcats in Lauren Bastian and Chloe Spitler. Bastian leads FC Dayton, and the entire Ohio Valley Conference, in assists with five. For Spitler, the winger has provided two assists but contributes elsewhere on the field as a two-way player – playing more defense than most in the wingback role.
 

Defensively, University of Dayton senior defender Audrey Steiert anchors the backline and leads Dayton’s defense. Dayton has only allowed five goals in eight matches, making them the strongest defense in the conference. When Steiert and FC Dayton face Cleveland, it’ll be their strongest challenger of the season, but a challenge the team welcomes.

“They’re excited, there’s not anyone that’s been in this position,” Schluter said. “They’ve battled all year and I expect them to do the same thing this Saturday.”

On the other side of that battle is Ambassadors Cleveland. Head coach Caleb Fortune’s side has played up to their 2021 conference-winning standard, but the 2022 road to the title match has been anything but normal.
 

Ambassadors played a heavier schedule to start the 2022 season due to a mission trip the club made to Mexico. Before the trip, the Ambassadors locked up the Eastern Division of the Ohio Valley Conference to secure their spot in the conference championship.
 

In Mexico, the soccer didn’t stop for the Ambassadors who faced Pumas of Liga MX Femenil – the top professional soccer division in Mexico. The Ohio side played to a 2-2 draw against the pro team and followed it with a resounding 7-1 victory against local side Club Deportivo Noria FC.
 

Cleveland returned from Mexico and closed out its WPSL regular season with a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Eagles.
 

Like many teams at this point in the WPSL season, Ambassadors likely won’t have its entire roster available for the postseason but will bring a squad full of depth and flexibility. That fluidity is evident on the field with Cleveland touting four players who’ve scored multiple goals and provided multiple assists.
 

Cleveland, the home side for tonight’s match, will need that flexibility against the 2022 expansion Dayton team. The match kicks off at 3 PM ET at Hudson High School, right outside of Cleveland, Ohio.