‘It was beautiful’: Thomas Worthington field hockey wins state title on Sophia Borghese overtime goal … again
Saturday, November 4, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Thomas Worthington’s Sophia Borghese (right) celebrates with Lauren Beier (15) after the Cardinals 2-1 win in overtime over New Albany in a state championship game on Nov. 4 at Thomas. Borghese scored the game-winning goal for the second consecutive season for the Cardinals. Photo: Michael Rich
Sophia Borghese wasn’t expecting the state field hockey championship game to end the way it did, but it wasn’t all that surprising.
The sophomore attacker scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give Thomas Worthington its second consecutive state title and eighth overall.
Borghese also scored the game-winner in overtime last year when the Cardinals beat Watterson in the final.
This time, she raced the better part of 60 yards on a breakout, weaving through a couple of defenders before firing left and into the cage to give the Cardinals a 2-1 victory over New Albany on Nov. 4 at Thomas.
The game-winner came with 2 minutes, 46 seconds remaining in overtime and was started with a long pass from Meredith Estepp in the defensive zone.
“I was expecting us to win by a corner or something,” Borghese said. “Never did I expect that we’d have a breakaway and I’d score off it. I had to maneuver around people and I really thought one of them would tip it away. I’m just happy that it’s over. No more stress.”
Thomas coach Terri Simonetti Frost gave Borghese some advice before the overtime period.
Thomas Worthington’s Emmy Wellejus (center) sends a ball up field during the Cardinals’ 2-1 win in overtime over New Albany in a state championship game on Nov. 4 at Thomas. The Cardinals won their second consecutive state title and eighth overall. Photo: Michael Rich
“I go, ‘Whatever you do, pull right,’ and she pulled right,” Simonetti Frost said. “She pulled right, ducked the goalie and it stuck it left. It was beautiful. Sophia is a beast. She’s going to have a successful high school career and, hopefully, a successful college career. She’s just so kind and sweet and hardworking.”
New Albany provided plenty of stress for the Cardinals in the third quarter when Paige Cornelius scored off a Lucy Pentzer penalty corner with 8:00 left.
The Cardinals (20-2) and the Eagles are two sides of the same coin. Thomas was making its 11th appearance in a state final with 10 of them coming since 2007.
New Albany was in the state tournament for the first time and came up just a couple of minutes short of its first state title.
The Eagles (20-3), who defeated the Cardinals 2-0 on Sept. 18, had 11 penalty corners through three quarters. But chances were at minimum in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“I think their experience in these big games helped them,” New Albany coach Marissa Weldon said. “I said in the locker room before the game, ‘You just give me your very best and I will be proud of you.’ And they did that. They gave me their very best and I am so proud of them for that.
“Of course, our team is disappointed. But I told them this is such a memorable season – we made history in so many ways.”
Members of the Thomas Worthington field hockey team pose with the state championship and members of the student section on Nov. 4 at Thomas. The Cardinals won their second consecutive state championship and eighth overall with a 2-1 win in overtime over New Albany. Photo: Michael Rich
Thomas (20-2) was held to just four corners over the first three periods and finished 1-for-14 overall.
Julie Conroy converted on a rebound of a Rowan Casey shot to tie the game with 2:52 remaining in regulation. The play began with a Borghese penalty corner.
“We needed to be a lot more offensively-minded and I think that’s what we did,” Conroy said. “We knew that we couldn’t give up where we were down. We just needed to keep firing and play our game. That’s how we ended up winning.”
Simonetti Frost altered the lineup to try to combat Cornelius, who finished with 75 goals and 18 assists this season.
She moved Rowan Casey from attacker to the midfield, Courtney Stegemiller to right back and kept Molly McClellan, a defender, on Cornelius.
“We started with a lineup to, obviously, try to shut down Paige,” Simonetti Frost said. “Once they scored, we called the timeout and I said we gotta go back to our original lineup and then pick her up. This is, mentally, our lineup. Our kids started pushing and not just playing her. We played our game then. It took us a little while, but we figured it out.”
The game featured a pair of freshmen in goal. Caroline Spangenburg finished with eight saves for the Eagles and Mae Conroy had six for Thomas.
The Cardinals won their seventh state championship with Simonetti Frost at the helm.
“I really have the best team and I’m not just talking about field hockey players,” Simonetti Frost said. “I’m talking about people. They will change the world both on and off the field. I cannot thank the fans and the Worthington community enough for always supporting us. I am proud to be a part of this community.”