ASHLAND — Jayson Schneider was indoctrinated into north central Ohio’s fiercest soccer rivalry Tuesday night.
A senior midfielder at Ashland, Schneider scored a first-half goal as the Arrows knocked off Lexington 3-2 in Ohio Cardinal Conference action at Ashland’s community soccer complex.
It was the first time Schneider has played against the Minutemen after moving with his family from Arizona to Ashland. It didn’t take long for him to make his mark on the rivalry, scoring a goal off a rebound in the sixth minute for a quick 1-0 Ashland advantage.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” Schneider said. “We had a shot on goal and it just rebounded right to me.”
The Arrows (3-2-1, 2-0) extended the lead to 2-0 late in the first half on a sensational individual effort by Ayden Behrendsen. The junior forward made a long diagonal run and rocketed a shot past Lexington goalkeeper Nolan Steward with 5:52 showing in the half.
“We always talk about striking early. I think we created a couple of opportunities,” Ashland coach Dustin Hosler said. “In games like this, opportunities are not going to be plentiful. You have to capitalize on those opportunities.”
The Arrows struck again with 6:20 remaining in the game when freshman midfielder Sebastion Roberts sent a corner kick into the box that a Lexington defender inadvertently knocked in for an own goal and a 3-0 advantage.
Lexington (2-2, 1-1) refused to go quietly, however, scoring twice in the final two-plus minutes.
Defender Will Perkins put the Minutemen on the board with a goal with just over two minutes remaining. Lex added a second goal when Dylan George headed in an Alex Depperschmidt corner kick with less than a minute to go, making it 3-2.
“The one positive is we didn’t quit. We pushed to the end,” veteran Lexington coach Peter Them said. “We showed some resiliency there so hopefully we can build from those moments.”
The Arrows were able to run out the clock, taking over the driver’s seat in the chase for the OCC title. Ashland will visit Wooster (3-1, 2-0) on Sept. 6 in a match that will go a long way in determining the conference championship. The Generals still have to play Lexington on Sept. 27.
Lexington has won three of the past four OCC titles, sharing the crown with Wooster in 2018 and winning it outright in 2019 and 2021. Ashland is chasing its first conference title since 2015.
“Any time you can get a win over your rival, it’s a big win,” said Hosler, who was a midfielder on Ashland’s 1998 Final Four team. “Lexington has been the kings of the conference for a while, so it’s a huge win.”
