T-L Photo/KIM NORTH ST. CLAIRSVILLE goalie Jaeda Nowak smothers a shot during the shootout of Saturday’s district final. Nowak and the Red Devils play Dover today in a regional semifinal.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Unchartered waters.

That’s what St. Clairsville will be entering when it hosts Dover tonight in a Division II, Region VII girls soccer tournament semifinal. No Red Devils soccer team — male of female — has ever reached this level of competition.

The match is set for 7 on the artificial pitch inside Red Devil Stadium.

Both squads advanced via upsets in their Eastern District 2 and 1 championship contests, respectively, on Saturday. The third-seeded Red Devils (12-5-2) knocked off No. 2 John Glenn, 2-1, in penalty kicks, while the No. 4 Crimson Tornadoes (12-5-3) blanked top-seeded River View, 2-0.

St. Clairsville played its best game of the season against the Muskies, and it had to.

“We’re really looking forward to this game. Obviously, we’re really excited to make school history, but we don’t want our journey to end just yet,” St. Clairsville head coach Wes Stoner said. “We’re also excited to get to play one more home game, especially for these seniors to get a chance to play there one more time. Our girls are ready to go.

“We’re playing a very tough team in Dover that does everything well, and is always very well coached.” Stoner added. “They’re talented every where and this will be the most difficult challenge yet this postseason. This is their second trip in a row to regionals, so they’ve got some experience in being here,” he continued.  

“We’ve played some really good teams in the regular season to try and prepare for moments like this one. Hopefully it pays off.”

After a scoreless first half, Alyssa Bodkin put the Red Devils ahead 1-0 early in the 42nd minute off an assist from Megan Malin. It was the junior’s team-best 21st net-finder on the campaign. However, she has been ruled out for the contest after sitting out much of the second half Saturday with an eye injury.

Four minutes later, John Glenn drew even and the teams battled the remaining 34 minutes scoreless.

A pair of 15-minute overtime periods failed to settle anything, setting up the dramatics in the shootout.

Malin, Mikayla Hendershot and Bella Swan found the back of the net for the Red Devils. Ariel Ott’s shot traveled over the cage. The Muskies also netted three goals and had one bang off the crossbar.

Gianna Nardo gave the Red Devils a 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks in the top of the fifth round, and senior goalkeeper Jaeda Nowak did her job by stopping the final offering from the Muskies which touched off a wild celebration as her teammates rushed to her.

St. Clairsville opened the tournament trail with a 2-0 win over Beaver Local and followed that up with a 2-1 triumph over Tri-Valley in double overtime. Dover has blanked West Holmes, 4-0, before outlasting Indian Creek, 2-1, in overtime.

In addition to Bodkin, who also has a trio of assists, Hendershot has scored 15 goals while adding a like number of assists. Malin has seven goals and nine helpers. Ott has six goals and eight assists. Emily Thompson, who was injured in the first half Saturday, has three goals and eight assists.

Nowak has charted 139 saves while giving up 26 goals.

St. Clairsville has played all season without senior Macy Malin who has 60 career goals. She injured a knee in preseason workouts that required surgery.

Lydia Frank tallied Dover’s first goal Saturday on a rebound in the 35th minute after the initial shot rang off the crossbar. Jaiden Corley bent in a corner kick four minutes later. Goalkeeper Addie Martin stopped a River View breakaway early in the second half to preserve the shutout.

Tonights winner meets the survivor of Chillicothe Unioto and Granville on Saturday at noon for the regional crown and a berth in the state tournament. The site has yet to be determined.

Dover has scored 65 goals while giving up 24. It has seven shutouts. St. Clairsville, meanwhile, has netted 54 goals and yielded 26. The Crimson Tornadoes are 4-2-2 on the road. The Red Devils are 8-3-2 at home.