Beaver Local claimed a Div. IV district girls soccer title with a 2-0 win over Philo on Wednesday at St. Clairsville High School. (Photo by Mike Brown)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — They’re regional bound.

The tradition-rich Beaver Local girls’ soccer team won a Div. IV district title and secured a spot in next week’s Cambridge Regional after posting a 2-0 triumph over the Philo Electrics at cold and blustery Red Devil Stadium on Wednesday in St. Clairsville.

“We’ve always had very special groups when we’ve been able to make it this far,” smiled Beaver Local head coach Liz Connor after the district trophy presentation. “It’s playing as a team and working with one another. It’s not just the people that are starting. We have people coming off the bench who are contributing in good ways as well.”

The triumph vaulted the top-seeded Beavers (17-2) into next Tuesday’s Div. IV regional at Cambridge High School’s McFarland Stadium where they will meet third-seeded Tusky Valley in a semifinal at 7 p.m. The Trojans advanced Wednesday with a 2-1 victory over second-seeded West Muskingum.

Beaver Local turned in yet another outstanding defensive effort in winning its district crown. To get a good idea how strong the Beavers’ defense has been, consider this: They have yet to surrender a goal in three postseason matches and have outscored their opponents, 18-0.

“Our defense has held up very well,” said Connor. “It was an area that we continued to work on throughout the season. Bella Long and Bella McLevey and the center backs do an excellent job coordinating everything.”

“They (the defenders) have really good chemistry, just all four of them,” said Beaver Local standout Peyton Dunn. “They know exactly what the other person is going to do. The communication helps and they just do their jobs.”

Philo, which has battled injuries all season, bowed out with a 12-6-2 record.

“We’re struggling through injuries,” said Philo head coach Starrzanne Hilty. “We had three season-ending injuries throughout the season, including an All-Ohio player who is out and my goalkeeper is out. So we’ve just been putting pieces of the puzzle back together.”

Once again, Beaver Local controlled much of the action, as a majority of the match was played on Philo’s half of the field.

Leading the Beaver Local scoring attack were Ally Wright and Peyton Dunn who each tallied goals in the first and second halves, respectively. Dunn, Beaver Local’s talented sophomore, now has 41 goals on the season and is one of the top goal scorers in the state.

“It (the second-half goal) helped me relax and it cleared my mind after the few that I missed,” said Dunn. “I was able to settle down. It helped.”

“She (Dunn) just continued to work and we moved her around a little bit so she could get some more touches on the ball,” said Connor.

The Beavers had seven shots on goal in the first half and scored the only goal in the opening 40 minutes off a corner kick. Riley Springer rocketed a corner kick inside and teammate Ally Wright headed the ball into the back of the net to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead at the 32:26 mark of the first half.

Both teams had chances on penalty kicks in the first half. Philo was wide left on a PK from 12 yards with 4:11 showing before the break and Beaver Local had a penalty kick sail over the bar in the closing minutes of the first half.

The Beavers took a 1-0 lead at the break.

But Dunn gave Beaver Local a huge cushion when she scored the Beavers’ second goal after sending a boot into the back of the net from 15 yards out at the 24:57 mark of the second half as the Beavers took a 2-0 advantage.

“It was very nerve-wracking in these close games, but we were able to get that insurance goal,” said Connor.

“Our plan was just to be aware of her (Dunn),” said Hilty. “We wanted to play just more straight up (on defense) but just to be aware of her and (Leah) Stewart. That was our game plan.”

Connor reflected on what makes this particular Beaver Local team so good.

“I think chemistry is what really sends teams over the top,” she stated. “Their relationships on and off the field. It really is like a family.”

The final statistics reflect Beaver Local’s dominance at both ends. The Beavers had 18 shots on goal to seven for the Electrics. The Beavers also led in corner kicks, 10-4.

Beaver Local goalkeeper Tatum Duncan recorded seven saves.

“Tatum came up with some really key saves tonight for us,” lauded Connor.

Hilty was proud of the effort of her Electrics put up against a talented Beaver Local team.

“This is the first time Philo has been in the district final since 2006,” lauded the Philo head coach.

Meanwhile, Connor is thrilled to see her team, which has worked so hard throughout the season, rewarded with a trip to the regional.

“It feels really good (to be in the regional),” said the Beaver Local coach. “Everyone just worked very hard.”