Olentangy Orange boys soccer puts its unbeaten season on the line Wednesday, Nov. 4, against Pickerington North in the OHSAA Division I regional semifinals.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Westerville North High School.
The Pioneers enter the matchup without a loss this fall. Orange finished the regular season 14-0-3 as the No. 2 seed in the Division I district tournament, according to cleveland.com. Two dominant district playoff wins followed: 8-0 over Pickerington Central on Oct. 21 and 6-1 over Dublin Coffman on Oct. 28, according to the Orange soccer program's results page. That puts the Pioneers at a calculated 16-0-3 heading into Wednesday's game.
A familiar opponent
These teams met once this season. Orange hosted Pickerington North on Sept. 1 and played to a 3-3 tie, the program's results show. That draw was one of only three blemishes on Orange's record, alongside ties against Hilliard Davidson and Olentangy Berlin.
Wednesday's stakes are higher. A win sends Orange to the regional final.
Offensive firepower
Senior forward Seth Tedla has been the Pioneers' top scoring threat. He tallied 17 goals and eight assists as reported in the Dispatch’s Oct. 20 feature, factoring into more than 40% of Orange's 61 goals, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Senior center midfielder Ethan Weiser has been the playmaker alongside him. Weiser recorded six goals and 14 assists during the regular season, a single-season program record for assists, according to the Dispatch. Coach Tony Diaz called Weiser the team's attacking catalyst, per the Dispatch.
Tough road ahead
Cleveland.com described the Region 1 bracket as "an all-Central District gauntlet." Orange's balance and ability to win high-scoring games make the Pioneers built for that path, the outlet noted.
The Pioneers outscored their two district playoff opponents 14-1 combined. The winner advances to the Division I regional final.
