SANDUSKY — A waxing crescent moon shone upon the westward drive for the Chagrin Falls girls side’s Division IV state semifinal against Ottawa-Glandorf at Sandusky Perkins. It was poetic for what the Tigers would have taken coming into the match: A crescent of light, knowing they were up against it, with a shot vs. a potent foe past the hour mark. With an 80 brimming with fortitude, they got that crescent. Unfortunately for Chagrin, that crescent slipped off into the evening, bringing an end to such a gutsy postseason charge that will revered in program lore. The Tigers hung within striking distance but conceded a pair of set-piece strikes for a 2-0 loss to the Titans. Chagrin’s 2024 campaign concludes at 13-6-4. All senior midfielder Brix Niethammer and the rest of the side wanted was a shot. They provided themselves a window at one, standing tall in the back with the hope for a good counter in the second 40 for chance to equalizer. It wasn’t to be. “That was just fundamental,” Niethammer said. “We let them keep getting corners, and it was bound to go in. We weren’t ready, and that kind of just hurt our mentality a little bit. “We always say, ‘0-0 at the half.’ And this is our chance to start over. And so, I thought we fought hard. We did what we needed to do. It just didn’t go our way.” Ottawa-Glandorf generated 11 shots on target and seven corner kicks in the opening 40, but only had a 1-0 lead to show for it off Delaney Duling’s corner in the 30th minute. The Tigers tried to get to their trademark width, but had trouble locating it as an imposing, physical Titans’ side with shape in the defensive third made that an uphill trek throughout. Chagrin’s first shot on target didn’t come until the 27th minute on a right-footed strike inside the box by Allie Stephenson. “We knew going in that the wide balls weren’t going to work,” Niethammer said. “Their defenders play super wide. And that’s kind of our game. So it’s hard to adjust to that. I just feel like we couldn’t get it in those pockets at times.” After halftime, the Tigers fared better with limiting shots on target, allowing three as opposed to the aforementioned 11 before the break. Chagrin’s defense displayed steel resolve and workrate to keep within 1-0. “Our mindset at halftime, we really flipped a switch and we knew we kind of let them control the first half,” Tigers center back Maggie Goss said. “We knew we needed to come out and play our game, instead of letting them walk all over us and everything. And I think we really did that in the second half, even though it didn’t go our way.” But again, that precious counter the Tigers required to make things more interesting bridging the hour mark never came. In the 67th minute, Ottawa-Glandorf puts matters essentially to rest with another set-piece goal. Megan Horstman served in far post, and Lily Grothause supplied the finish for the final margin. Stephenson logged Chagrin’s other shot on target for the match in the 68th on a free kick that was turned away by Titans goalkeeper Libbie Niese. Chagrin Falls goalkeeper Izzy Pribanic rollls to a teammate during a Division IV state semifinal Nov. 5 at Sandusky Perkins. (Randy Meyers – for The News-Herald) Tigers keeper Izzy Pribanic had an outstanding match in a 12-save performance, helping keep her side within sight of Ottawa-Glandorf. After winning just five matches amid an injury-riddled 2023, Chagrin turned around all the way into its eighth state final four run. The Tigers were dealt adversity, with leading scorer Bella Radomsky tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in a D-IV regional semifinal against West Branch, but battled to get to another final four. That character and spine will be the takeaway from this 2024 campaign. At the full-time whistle, Niethammer walked to Goss, arms extended at midfield for a lengthy hug as the seniors’ Chagrin tenure came to an end. But they couldn’t have been prouder of their side, provided a crescent of hope while knowing it was up against it. “Going in, obviously we were the underdogs,” Niethammer said. “Last year to this year, we dealt with injuries. We dealt with it all, from my freshman year winning state to playing two seasons and not making a far run. I am just super proud of all these girls. They’re young. They stepped up to the plate, and we made the run that we wanted to.” Added Goss: “Just this team’s strength. And our ability to face adversity and overcome it. I think it really started with the strength of our schedule this year and playing a lot of higher-division teams, D-I and D-II. And I think that really set us up well for playoffs. We faced difficult opponents, but that just really strengthened our skill. I think that’s what led us to be such a strong team.” THE SCORE Ottawa-Glandorf 2, Chagrin Falls 0