Kirtland’s balanced offense makes life difficult on opposing defenses. The No. 14-seeded Hornets made No. 10 Oberlin find out the hard way as three different players scored on the way to a 4-1 road victory in a Division V district semifinal Oct. 22. Kirtland (10-7-1) advances to the district final at Brunswick against No. 2 Columbia on Oct. 26. It was a priority for the visitors to shut down Oberlin’s dynamite sophomore forward Kylie Walter. The Hornets allowed only two shots on goal for the game and limited Walter at every turn. Defense turned into offense for Kirtland’s attack. “I think our defense stepped up in a massive way today,” Kirtland coach Josh Sladick said. “Having them play the way we did allowed our offense to do what they do best. Our offense knew they could trust our defense and our defense knew they could trust their goalkeeper. It’s a beautiful thing when all three are working in tandem.” Junior captain Megan Urbanick jumpstarted the Kirtland offense early with a goal in the fifth minute. Her corner kick went off the hands of Oberlin goalkeeper Michaela Streator and into the back of the net. Leading scorer, freshman Olivia Pickens, also got in on the action with a goal off an assist from Urbanick in the 30th minute. The Hornets outshot the Phoenix in the first half, 9-1, on the way to a 2-0 lead at the half. “(Scoring first) was huge and it was a big confidence booster,” Urbanick said. “It lifts everyone’s spirits and makes everything more positive. We play as a unit and we score as a unit. I think it really helps us.” Less than eight minutes into the second half, Kirtland scored twice more. In the 42nd minute, Oberlin goalkeeper Michaela Streator saved a shot from Pickens, but couldn’t make a play on the second one as Lexi Vosicky cleaned up the loose ball and scored on the rebound. Pickens later added her second goal of the day. Kirtland has so many players to keep track of that it creates difficulty on the defensive end. “It makes it difficult for the defense to communicate and be aware,” Oberlin coach Ben Eiskamp said. “It’s making sure your head’s on a swivel and making sure where players are. The communication has to be on point and you can see except for that first one, we weren’t communicating. They’d slip somebody behind and you’re not ready for it. That’s what happens.” Oberlin got on the board in the 65th minute as a corner kick from Ruby Schaeffer resulted in a goal in front for Lydia Chambers. As a result of only holding the Phoenix to two shots on goal, Pickens and the Kirtland offense benefitted with 19 shots on goal. An all-around team effort now puts the Hornets one win away from winning a district championship. “It feels really good,” Pickens said. “We’ve worked so hard this year as a team. To get this result, it feels good. It was a good relief to help the team score and move on.”