Ohio Northern Claims OAC Women's Soccer Tournament Championship

11/8/2026 5:57:49 PM

Ohio Northern Claims OAC Women's Soccer Tournament Championship

No. 1 Polar Bears edge Capital, 3–2, in double overtime for program's seventh tournament title

Game Recap

Top-seeded Ohio Northern won the 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament with a 3–2 double-overtime victory over Capital on Sunday afternoon at Kerscher Stadium in Ada. Sonja Peterson scored the golden goal at 100:36. It's the Polar Bears' seventh OAC Tournament title and their first since 2024, and it sends them to the NCAA Division III Championship with the league's automatic bid.

How It Happened

Ohio Northern struck twice in the first half. Kendell Scriber scored unassisted at 7:10, and Ayva Moore added another unassisted goal at 23:13 for a 2–0 lead. Capital answered before the break when Brinley Barnett scored at 40:23, assisted by Payton Childers and Sarah Kelly, to make it 2–1 at halftime.

The Comets pulled even at 60:22, when Silje Rehstrom finished a feed from Mayci Sayre. Capital outshot ONU 8–2 in the second half, but freshman goalkeeper Blake Sakach made three saves to keep the match level through regulation.

The first overtime was scoreless. Just 36 seconds into the second overtime, Peterson took ONU's only shot of the extra periods and scored unassisted to win the title.

Capital held a 15–7 edge in shots (8–3 on goal) and an 8–1 advantage in corner kicks. Ohio Northern scored on all three of its shots on goal, and Sakach finished with six saves.

Top Performers

Ohio Northern

  • Sonja Peterson – 1 goal (game-winner in 2OT)
  • Ayva Moore – 1 goal, team-high 2 shots
  • Blake Sakach – 6 saves, 100:36 in goal

Capital

  • Brinley Barnett – 1 goal
  • Silje Rehstrom – 1 goal
  • Mayci Sayre – 1 assist, game-high 4 shots

Noteworthy

  • Ohio Northern won its seventh OAC Tournament title. The others came in 2012, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
  • The Polar Bears won the double: they also shared the 2026 OAC regular-season title with Capital after going 7–1 in league play. It's the 11th regular-season crown in program history.
  • ONU improves to 11–5–3 overall. As the No. 1 seed, the Polar Bears had a first-round bye, then beat No. 4 Baldwin Wallace 1–0 in Thursday's semifinal on a first-half goal from Peterson. Peterson scored the winning goal in both tournament matches.
  • The title makes up for last season, when ONU reached the OAC Tournament final as the No. 5 seed and finished as runner-up.
  • Ohio Northern swept the season series with Capital. The Polar Bears won the regular-season meeting 2–1 in Ada on Oct. 28, which was the Comets' only conference loss.
  • Fourth-year head coach Ben Tierney has now won two OAC Tournament titles with the Polar Bears (2024, 2026).
  • Capital (15–4–0) was making its first OAC Tournament final appearance since 2022, when it also fell to Ohio Northern. The Comets beat Otterbein 2–1 in overtime in the semifinals on Megan Foulke's golden goal, and their 15 wins are the program's most since 2015.
  • The NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship selection show airs Monday, Nov. 9, at 11:30 a.m. ET on NCAA.com.