Woodmore hoping to make a run in the tournament

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Speed.
That’s what seems to set Woodmore girls soccer apart from many of the teams in Northwest Ohio.
But if the Wildcats are going to make a run in the postseason, they’ll have to put together 80 minutes of good, consistent play and do so without two of their forwards — Melanie Hunt and Leah Schultze — both of whom suffered season-ending injuries a few weeks ago. Hunt was arguably the best player on the team, having led Woodmore with 14 goals, and Schultze provided depth at the position.
Thus far, the Wildcats have had a very impressive season, going 10-3-1 and 6-2-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The three losses have come by a total of three points to two very good teams — Eastwood (twice) and Archbold — while the tie came against Liberty-Benton, a perennial powerhouse.
In Woodmore’s 10 wins, it has dominated, outscoring its opponents by a combined 51-6. Coach Jeff Helmke counts the wins over Riverdale (3-1), Oak Harbor (3-0) and Van Buren (6-1) as the most impressive for the club.
Twelve Wildcats have scored goals this season and 10 have recorded an assist. Hunt’s 14 goals put her just ahead of fellow forward Azure Travis, who has 13 goals, followed by another forward in Macey Bauder, who has eight goals, and Alayna Hahn, who has seven goals. Travis leads Woodmore with nine assists; Bauder has recorded seven assists and Rahzia Rios, who is filling in for Hunt, has six assists.
There are six seniors on the team — Hunt, Rios, Bauder, Hahn, Alena Davis and Paige Helmke. Helmke, Hunt, Bauder and Hahn are the captains. It’s a group that has played together for about a decade.
“They’ve had a lot of years together,” said Jeff Helmke. “They’ve worked hard and played together since they were little.”
Helmke talked about the challenge that comes with replacing Hunt and Schultze.
“We’ve had to fill the void with the whole team moving around. We moved Azure to striker and Rahzia has done a great job at left wing,” he said. “A lot of our players play a (variety) of positions.”
Hunt and Schultze were both contributing a great deal to the team before getting hurt in the win over Van Buren on Sept. 27. Hunt broke her ankle and Schultze suffered a dislocated kneecap.
“Melanie, that’s hard for her because you never want to see that happen to a senior,” said Helmke. “Leah was doing a good job for us.”
The Wildcats operate out of a 4-3-3 alignment with Layla McGinnis protecting the net as the goalie.
The three forwards are Travis (striker), Rios (left wing) and Bauder (right wing); the three midfielders are Hahn (center) Paige Helmke (right) and Caydie Buchanan (left) and the defenders are Kalle Heins (left back), Izzy Cook (left-center back), Sage Perry (right-center back) and Megan Vogelpohl (right back).
The primary reserves are Kiera Travis (defender), Izzy Helmke (midfielder), Alena Davis (defender), Kelsey Kaylor (forward), Kassy Nissen (defender), Alivia Smith (midfielder), Lyndee Wagner (forward) and Brooke Lowry (forward).
“We have a lot of speed,” said Bauder. “We’re figuring out how to use it to our advantage.”
Hahn agrees.
“I think we have a very strong offense (with) some of the fastest forwards in the area,” she said. “Our ability to move the ball through the midfield is strong.
“One of our biggest things is effort and how hard you work. You can beat a good team just by how you hustle,” she said.
Jeff Helmke credits Hahn and Paige Helmke for playing golf, too, during the fall season and Buchanan for running on the cross country team. He notes that Buchanan was first-team in the NBC last season in both cross country and soccer.
“It’s outstanding that they do that,” said Helmke.
Woodmore is seeded fourth in the Division III Genoa District. It will play the winner of (7) Delta and (12) Cardinal Stritch on Thursday and, should it win, will likely get another shot at beating Eastwood, the top seed, on Oct. 25. Two years ago, the Eagles beat the Wildcats, 3-2, in a shootout in the district finals.
“I’m excited because we’ve shown we can compete with the best teams in our division,” said Bauder. “I’m excited about getting the chance to play in the tournament.”
Anything is possible with a team that has talent, great athleticism, a good defense and a competent goalkeeper.
“Overall, we just need to learn to play our game for 80 minutes,” Helmke said. “We (typically) play our game for 50-60 minutes.”