TIFFIN: This was not what Walsh Jesuit coach Dino McIntyre envisioned when the 2011 girls soccer season started.

McIntyre and his assistant coaches found themselves consoling Warriors players who lay dejected on the ground and in tears on a windy and rainy Wednesday evening in Tiffin following a gut-wrenching loss to Toledo St. Ursula Academy via penalty kicks in a Division II state semifinal match.

The Warriors (19-1-2) and Arrows (15-6-1) were tied 0-0 after 80 minutes of intense regulation play and two 15 minute overtime sessions.

The sides then went back-and-forth in a dramatic penalty kick shootout sequence that concluded with St. Ursula winning 4-3 on Tiffin National Field at Frost-Kalnow Stadium.

Senior Kiley Armstrong converted the game-winner for St. Ursula from 12 yards out to eliminate Walsh, the No. 1 ranked team in the Division II state coaches poll and the No. 2 ranked team in the country according to the ESPN Rise Fab 50 national poll.

McIntyre acknowledged that the ending was a nightmare scenario to a memorable season.

“The wind equalized everything unfortunately,” McIntyre said. “The wind, the rain, all that stuff, but they played on the same field. Any loss in the state semis is heartbreaking.”

The sides were tied 3-3 after five shooters.

Senior Grace Kenney, senior Kelly Farrell and junior Kyla Sofo also converted attempts for St. Ursula. Senior Christen Westphal, sophomore Maddy Anzelc and junior Maddy John found the net for Walsh.

The pressure mounted, and following a Walsh miss off the cross bar, Armstrong’s conversion and a Walsh miss over the top of the goal, the match was over.

The Arrows were overjoyed on the field, jumping up and down with smiles on their faces and hugging one another.

The Warriors were on the opposite end of emotion as tears flowed.

“It went to five, a couple of people missed on both sides and there were a couple of saves on both sides,” McIntyre said. “Then, we had our chance in the first sudden death [after the first five kickers] and we missed it.”

The Warriors consistently peppered Arrows senior goalkeeper Nicole Vahalik with shots.

Vahalik finished with 14 saves and received a lot of help from senior defender Megan David.

Walsh held an advantage in shots (28-4), shots on goal (14-3) and corner kicks (8-2).

Warriors senior goalkeeper Caitlin Jakubek had three saves.

The light standards swayed back and forth at times during the match, and the strong gusts consistently kept the American and Ohio flags in motion at Columbian High School.

Add in scattered rain showers and chilly temperatures, and the conditions on the pitch were not ideal.

St. Ursula will play Columbus St. Francis DeSales in the Division II state title match at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Columbus Crew Stadium.

The loss concludes the Walsh careers for Westphal, Jakubek and other senior starters Kaylee Semelsberger, Alyson Smigel, Katie George and Morgan Miller.

The Warriors are slated to return John, Anzelc, juniors Sandra Yu, Sarah Kornick and Abbey Filicko.

Walsh won Division II state titles in 2000 and 2001 and Division I state titles in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

Read the high school blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ABJ_Varsity. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

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