COLUMBUS – Sometimes in order to go forward you have to look back.
The Walsh Jesuit girls soccer team beat Olentangy Liberty 2-1 on Friday to win the Division I state title. It was title No. 11 in program history and a great rebound from a state final loss in 2021.
Juniors Hannah Pachan and Reagan Pentz started on the Walsh team that lost 4-1 to Mount Notre Dame two seasons ago. Junior Audrey Amsden and senior Adri Lika also played in that game.
That’s why hoisting the 2023 state championship meant just a little bit more.
“It’s always a source of motivation during the summer,” Pentz said. “You don’t want to feel that again. That was the mindset coming in. We’ve experienced the pressure and the field and the fans. We know what it’s like to be down here. I think freshman year was a we’re-happy-to be-there kind of thing. We were happy to be here.
“This year, we knew what it was going to be like. That helped. It’s a different team. It’s a different mindset. This year we got the job done.”
That last sentence said it all.
Walsh Jesuit girls soccer ruled the roost with self assuredness and grace
Although the 2021 team was incredible in its own right, Friday afternoon was all about 2023 and winning a championship at Historic Crew Stadium.
The air of confidence was almost palpable when the Warriors (17-2-3) took to the pitch.
When Pachan scored the first of her two goals just 6:27 in that certainty took on another level.
“It was the mindset that we’re not losing,” Pachan said. “We knew what it felt like to lose. People say the state championships were in the past. We took that momentum and had fun with it. That’s what the game of soccer is. We’re playing with our friends. If we win a state championship, that’s even better.”
Walsh Jesuit seniors leave a legacy for Warriors girls soccer
The win over Liberty (19-2-1) allowed the 2023 team to join squads from 2012-2016, 2010, 2006, 2004 and 2000-01 squads that brought home titles for Walsh. It also gave the outgoing seniors one last memory of four-year careers during which the Warriors went 63-11-11.
That class made two state finals, won three district titles and made it to the regional final level or better three times.
“This is truly the best way my season could have ended as a senior,” Lika said. “You can’t ask for anything else, but to win a state championship. That’s exactly what we did.”
Although state titles are talked about in every program, the expectation to get there looms large at Walsh. Amsden saw that championship caliber just four games into the season. After that, it was a constant drive to get better.
It came on Sept. 2 when Walsh went on the road and beat Jackson 2-0 to for its third shutout of the season. The Warriors lost just one more time en route to its ride to Columbus.
“I knew we could go far,” Amsden said. “I had faith in us. We’ve been playing really well. We played well, but when we beat Jackson, I knew we had progressed. I thought we could reach the top, and we did.”
Title No. 1 for Walsh Jesuit coach Javier Iriart came from a Warriors team that gave it their all
The end is always bittersweet win or lose. For those who finish one step from the top, it’s a feeling of what if.
For those who grab the crown, there’s elation, but also sweet sorrow knowing the seniors who went out on top won’t be around next season. It all caught up to Warriors coach Javier Iriart, who bent down with hands over his face and tears in his eyes.
“Everything has been for this exact moment,” he said. “It’s the state final, man. There’s no joy like it. When you do this kind of stuff as a coach there’s just so much work that goes into it. It’s just relief that we finally accomplished a goal we’ve been dreaming about for three years. It’s just overwhelming.
“Our motto has always been do it for us. Do it for the people on the field and the sideline. The alumni that came today were part of that culture that got us here today. We do it for the people who played before us and the people who will play for us, but most importantly to those contributing on and off the field. This is for all of them.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA girls soccer: Walsh girls soccer adds to impressive resume