LYNDHURST — For reasons lost to the ages, Hathaway Brown midfielder Elizabeth Wargo is known as Birdie. She’s even listed in the program as Birdie.

Could it have something to do with magic — like the trick where a magician makes a dove disappear before your very eyes. Or the one where the magician pulls a dove out of a silk scarf and everyone goes, “Ooh, aah.”

Whatever the story, HB’s leading scorer made some magic Wednesday night on Brush High School’s artificial turf. Birdie made three soccer balls disappear into the Lake Ridge net to power the Blazers to a 4-0 Division II regional semifinal win over the Lions.

With the victory, Hathaway Brown (13-2-3) moved a step closer to a second straight appearance in the Final Four. The Blazers, who won state championships in 2004 and ’07, advance to a noon Saturday regional final date with either Chagrin Falls or Cortland Lakeview in Medina. They were ousted by Akron Hoban, 1-0, in a state semifinal last fall.

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HB outshot the Lions 13-5 and put six shots on goal to the Lions’ three. But Lake Ridge otherwise kept the match close statistically. The Lions (12-6-2) never mounted a serious offensive threat; their inability to pinch off the midfield defensively in the first half led directly to the only goals Hathaway Brown needed.

“I think in the first half they got their goals because we were struggling a little bit getting back into our defensive shape,” Lake Ridge coach Tara Bowen said. “We had some holes in the middle that they were capitalizing on. But the second half, our shape was much better and there’s really not much you can do about those two goals they scored.”

The fact is, the Blazers didn’t need Wargo’s goals at all. A score by freshman Halle Bachouros that sailed over the Lake Ridge keeper in the 10th minute was in fact the eventual winner. But Wargo came back with her first of the night into the left corner in the 25th minute, and the Blazers carried a 2-0 lead into the break.

Taking an indirect kick on the restart after a Lions foul, Wargo drilled a shot into the Lake Ridge net for a 3-0 lead in the 54th minute. And, with an assist by junior Kylie Kaufman on another restart, she added the crushing blow barely a minute later.

Senior co-captain Mary Shimko got the Lions’ first shot away 15 minutes into the match, but it went wide left. Shimko had their first shot on goal in the 26th minute, but HB keeper Grace Redmon handled it routinely. And she forced Redmon to make another save in the 31st minute.

The Lions’ only other shot on goal — by sophomore Kayla Daniel — came in the 66th minute. But Redmon again made the play routinely as the ball hooked toward the left goal post.

Nevertheless, it was a productive season for Lake Ridge, which won the first district championship in the history of the program.

“I’m just so proud of my teammates and everything we’ve accomplished,” Shimko said. “We accomplished our goals, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. We were honored to play a team like (HB). They’re awesome.”

“It was awesome to come this far, because it was the first time in our school’s history,” said senior co-captain and defender Jessica DiOrio. “It’s been a great experience, but I wish we’d won. I think maybe if we had played a little harder in the first half, the outcome would have been different. But we played our hearts out in the second half and left it all on the field.”

Hathaway Brown 4, Lake Ridge 0

• GOALS: (HB) Halle Bachourous, 10th minute; Birdie Wargo, 25th, 54th, 55th minutes.
• ASSISTS: HB) Kylie Kaufman.
• SHOTS: HB 13, Lake Ridge 5.
• SHOTS ON GOAL: HB 6, Lake Ridge 3.
• SAVES: (HB) Grace Redmon 5, (LR) Emily Kurtz 5.
• CORNER KICKS: HB 1, Lake Ridge 1.
• GOAL KICKS: HB 5, Lake Ridge 6.
• OFFSIDE: HB 4, Lake Ridge 1.
• HANDBALLS: Lake Ridge 2.
• FOULS: HB 7, Lake Ridge 4.
• CARDS: (LR) Jessica DiOrio, yellow, 80th minute.
• HALFTIME: Hathaway Brown, 2-0.

Contact Bob Daniels at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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