Presented with the concept of how it had reached that juncture following the Division IV Northeast 4 District final Oct. 26, the lament in Brix Niethammer’s “Yeah …” in response was palpable. The Chagrin Falls girls looked like the free-flowing attacking side with width and tight first touches it usually can be for the first 15 minutes against Fairview at Berkshire. The next half-hour? Not so much. Did the Tigers ever handle that quandary from there. Niethammer delivered a brace, including a strike approaching the hour mark as part of a five-goal barrage in an 11-minute span to blow open an 8-2 rout of the Warriors. Chagrin (11-5-4), in capturing its eighth district title since 2007, shook off that malaise bridging halftime and ensured it could head out of Burton with more hardware to add to the case on Washington Street. Next up will be West Branch, a 6-0 victor over Ravenna Southeast, in a D-IV regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Twinsburg. Chagrin Falls sophomore midfielder Mia Buno discusses her side's 8-2 D4 district final rout of Fairview at Berkshire(Apologies for the volume BTW – I swear it sounded a bit better in real time than this; you can hear her thankfully, just not as much as I'd prefer) pic.twitter.com/JKdGpO83ea — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 27, 2024 “We had a little bit of nerves,” Tigers coach Joe Ciuni said. “Fairview all of a sudden came up, they got their goal, and we looked a little bit nervous out there. We talked about that at halftime, that, hey, we’re playing well for long stretches — really good moments. Play with confidence. And we kind of got that back for ourselves start of the second half.” But again, it took some time to take on that complexion. Locked in a 1-1 match in the 51st minute, an old friend came calling for a side that’s seemingly had a prowess for it forever. Chagrin earned a corner, its sixth of the match to that point. Mia Buno served a nicely weighted ball into the middle of the box, and Lily Pawar took care of a header for her fifth goal of the season and a 2-1 lead. Chagrin 2-1Lily Pawar 51st minA Chagrin girls side scores a big goal off a set piece – I can't believe it … that NEVER happens pic.twitter.com/nYEoaEKUch — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 26, 2024 Then in the 53rd, Niethammer tried her luck with a bender from distance, the senior midfielder’s 12th goal of 2024 to make it a 3-1 match. Wild sequence Chagrin gets this chippy 53rd min … 3-1Fairview lifeline … 3-2Mia Buno 54th min … 4-2 pic.twitter.com/vWOVFtfk13 — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 26, 2024 “I’ve been working on that all season, just the chip. Most of my goals are actually off the 18 mark,” Niethammer said. “Now I’m like, ‘Oh, every time. Just right off the foot.'” Fairview (12-2-5) grabbed a brief lifeline in the 54th, before Buno grabbed it right back 37 seconds later on a sliding strike. Tigers’ multi-sport stalwart Bella Radomsky, who assisted on Neithammer’s strike in the seventh minute with a first-class cross, contributed an endline goal in the 56th to make it 5-2, then another in the 62nd off Aleena Aniev service. Chagrin 6-2Bella Radomsky 62nd min … & I the fact, between & T&F after all these years, that my knows pic.twitter.com/AAhbRpBmaC — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 26, 2024 Aniev provided the final margin with a brace of her own in the 72nd and 75th. What was once nervy was waylaid thereafter en route to what became a comprehensive result. Few Northeast Ohio sides play a schedule as demanding as Chagrin, which toughens the Tigers for moments such as the 50th minute when things didn’t appear to be quite as rosy. After a five-win injury-riddled 2023 and 0-3 start to this fall, Chagrin is 11-2-4 since and roaring back to regional competition. The lament about that lull might remain in the quest for perfection, but the Tigers will welcome fixing that on the training ground as their campaign marches on. “Our first 10 minutes were really good,” Niethammer said. “And we came out strong like we wanted to. Then we kind of lost momentum. So I think it was just taking a breath, resetting and knowing that we are going to win this game. Doing everything we can, working as a team, to win it together.” Chagrin Falls girls accept their D4 district championship & following an 8-2 district final win over Fairview at Berkshire pic.twitter.com/DfOGkqFNdb — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 27, 2024 Coming soon For more from this match, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.