It was the 13th shutout victory for the Knights this fall.
RELATED: Tuesday’s high school roundup
“It was a great team win, especially the girls in the back,” Sweeney said. “We can’t score goals without the back. Building from the back is such a huge thing. We’re connecting well and keeping our calm. One thing we’ve learned throughout the season is keeping our calm and trying to think of the next play.”
The Knights (19-1-1) advanced to play unbeaten Monroe (20-0) in Saturday’s D-II regional final at a site and time to be determined. The Hornets beat Tippecanoe 3-2 in overtime in the other D-II regional semifinal match. Last year, the Knights lost to eventual state champion Cincinnati Indian Hill in the regional final.
Oakwood finished its season 12-7-1.
Alter knew it had to score early against Oakwood, which beat Cincinnati Wyoming 2-1 in overtime to win a district championship.
“Oakwood is a team that if you let them hang in there, they’ll come back,” said Knights coach Javier Iriart. “We knew we had to separate ourselves as much as possible from them to not give them hope that they could get back in it and we did that.”
Early in the first half, the Knights earned a free kick right outside the 18-yard box. The ball was sent across the field and Sweeney flicked it past the goalkeeper to the far post to make it 1-0.
“We try to attack right away so we can be calm throughout the rest of the game and try to get more (goals),” Sweeney said.
The Jills had multiple corner kicks, but were unable to crack Alter’s defense to tie the game.
“We had a ton of corners and we had the ball down on their end of the field for awhile,” said Oakwood coach Liz Kussman said. “They had their chances, but couldn’t convert.”
The Knights ramped up their possession game in the second half, controlling the ball and attacking from all angles. Vollmar scored on a header from a corner kick to make it 2-0 midway through the second half. Schimpf then scored on a cross from Nora Tyra to seal the victory.
Kussman, an Alter grad, knew what to expect against the Knights. She was proud of the way her team held its own.
“I know it’s a storied program,” she said. “They’re fantastic. They’re proven. I just wanted my kids to come out and compete tonight and I thought they did. I’m extremely proud of them. They had a great run in the tournament. I know this isn’t how they wanted it to end, but I’m extremely proud of them.”
The Jills advanced to their first regional semifinal since 2015. They’ll graduate nine seniors from this year’s squad.
“They had three amazing games to get here and they deserved it,” Kussman said. “The goal is to keep building every year instead of it being a one-off thing.”
About the Author