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CALCUTTA — Beaver?Local isn’t supposed to still be playing soccer this far into November. It’s not a “soccer” school. There’s not a long tradition of greatness surrounding the program. Still, the Beavers just keep on winning. Beaver?Local (16-2-2) will square off against Columbus St. Francis DeSales (16-1-3) at 3 p.m., today, in the Div. II regional final at Watkins Memorial High School. “A lot of teams set goals at the beginning of the year,”?Beaver Local coach Mick Bowdler said. “I’m not one for that, so we really had no expectations to start. I never dreamt we make it this far. After the win against Coshocton, I asked for somebody to pinch me.” Beaver?Local reached this position with wins over Edison, Cambridge, River View and Coshocton. The Beavers have yet to give up a goal this postseason, outscoring their opponents, 13-0. “Our defense has really upped its game,”?Bowdler said. “They work extremely hard. They’re young, but they’ve gotten better and better. We have a lot of speed back there.” Bowdler noted that Drew Eisenhart and Alex Allen are two of the faster Beaver Local players. Things will not be easy for the Beavers this time around. DeSales has been ranked No. 1 in Div. II by the soccer coaches association for most of the season. “We’re anticipating playing a really good team,”?Bowdler said. “It’s really neat for our kids from a little community like Beaver Local to be playing a team like this. “We know it’s going to be tough. Their players are probably going to be a lot technically better than us. We just want to match their energy for the first 15 minutes until the game calms down. We want to create some credibility early.” DeSales defeated Marietta (17-2-2) in the regional semifinals, 2-0. Bowdler said his team knows DeSales is the favorite and that they are embracing the role of underdog. “They don’t really ask me much about the other team,” he said. “They take each game as it comes. They are confident in themselves. They’re relishing the moment, and so am I. “For us this is like our state final. I think we’ll be relaxed going in, because we have nothing to lose. I know the kids will play with a lot of heart.” One advantage the Beavers might have is crowd support. So far, Bowdler has been impressed by the outpouring of support he has seen from the Beaver Local fans. “It’s been a huge part of why we’re doing so well,”?he said. “We travel some two hours, but it seems like we’re playing in our backyard. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s been a huge lift for us.” NOTES:?Bowdler said he spoke to the Cardinal Mooney coach for a scouting report on DeSales. The coach told him that DeSales was the best team they played by far. ...The winner of today’s game will play in the state semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of Dayton Carroll (17-1-1) against Bexley (16-2-2).

 

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