Norwalk wins sectional title in overtime

ONTARIO — The Norwalk boys soccer team won one of its most thrilling tournament wins in program history on Saturday. The No. 6 seed in its host district, the Truckers got a goal in overtime from Elliot Gahring to defeat the No. 3 Warriors, 3-2, in a Division III sectional championship match at Ontario High School. With the win, the Truckers improved to 12-4-2 and will face No. 1 Mansfield Madison (15-1-2) in a 5 p.m. district semifinal Tuesday at Contractors Stadium. In the second match Tuesday, No. 2 Perkins (14-3-1) faces No. 5 Lexington (8-7-2). During the regular season, the Rams defeated the Truckers by a 2-1 score on Aug. 26 in Norwalk. In the win over the Warriors, Gahring scored off a corner kick from Ben Snyder near the end of the first overtime period. Gahring also scored the first goal of the match for Norwalk when he chipped a shot over the Warriors' keeper in the first half. Landon Ferkel gave Norwalk a 2-1 lead when he scored on a header off another Snyder corner kick. "We were so good at finishing corner kicks at the beginning of the year, and then we kind of went away from it towards the middle of the season," Norwalk head coach Chris Schnell said. "A corner kick can be such a good play for us if we are on. And today, we were on." It was a fitting end between the Truckers and Warriors. Not only were they tied late in overtime, but they also tied, 2-2, in a regular season match on Sept. 7, also in Ontario. "I'm very proud of the way our boys fought today," Schnell said. "We went down early when we conceded an own goal early in the first half. To battle back to tie it up by half and then to take lead early in the second half shows how determined this team is. "Then when had to pick ourselves back up after we committed a dumb foul and they scored on the ensuing free kick. We never quit. We dominated the overtime period and our effort paid off for us in the end." The district appearance marks the fourth district title in the past five seasons for Norwalk, which reached a district championship match last season before falling to Lexington.