Toledo has a state champion. Ottawa Hills beat Chippewa 2-1 on Friday in the OHSAA Division V girls soccer state championship at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, bringing the title home to the Green Bears.

Ottawa Hills struck first about 20 minutes in, when midfielder Kendell Skiver took the ball just outside the box, turned onto her right foot and fired it over Chippewa goalkeeper Gianna Neely for a 1-0 lead at halftime. Three minutes into the second half, midfielder Ashleigh Speakman made it 2-0.

Chippewa answered about nine minutes later — Delaney Marshall drove through the middle and crossed low for Alaina Henthorn, who tapped it in to make it 2-1. The Chipps chased an equalizer for the final 25 minutes, coming close on shots from distance and corner kicks, but the Green Bears’ back line held.

The final numbers tell the story of a game Chippewa largely controlled but could not finish: Chippewa outshot Ottawa Hills 17-10, put nine shots on target to Ottawa Hills’ seven, and earned six corners to two — while Ottawa Hills owned 56 percent of possession.

Ottawa Hills finishes 18-3-2 as state champions. Chippewa, 21-1-1, suffered its first loss of the season in its third consecutive state final appearance — still chasing the program’s first state title after a three-year run of 64-5-1 in which the Chipps outscored opponents 403-24.

Read more from The Daily Record.

Image: Wikimedia Commons — Ohio high school girls soccer action (file photo).