Freshman Gresh lifts undefeated Hudson to first girls soccer state title since 2000
File photo: A. Fray PhotoHudson capped a perfect 22-0 season on Saturday, beating Bishop Watterson 2-0 in the Division II girls soccer state final at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus for the Explorers' first state championship since 2000 — and only the second in school history.
The winner came from the unlikeliest source. Freshman Elia Gresh, who came off the bench, popped a pass from Montana commit Alyssa Maniar over Watterson goalkeeper Josie Smith with 21:56 left in regulation. It was Gresh's third goal of the season — and the most important of her young career.
"It's really stressful in that game, but you have to take your time," Gresh said. "I told myself, 'Just take your time,' which is what I did and it ended up going in."
Maniar, who took a pass on the right before finding Gresh in the middle, said she never hesitated. "I felt like we had to find as many open players as possible," Maniar said. "I saw her there and knew she had worked hard to get that ball before. I saw her open and was like, 'Give it a shot.' I told her to score, and she did."
Hannah Meese made sure of the result with 6:18 remaining, taking a pass from Molly Grady on the left and beating Smith to the right for the 2-0 lead. "That solidified our win," Meese said. "To get up 2-0 instead of 1-0 with six minutes left, we all knew to hold strong, keep the defense strong and we'd get the win."
The final was a rematch of last year's state semifinal, which Hudson also won 2-0. A year ago, the Explorers lost the final 3-2 to Whitehouse Anthony Wayne. This time, they finished the job — and finished the season without a loss or a tie.
It was a defensive battle for most of the afternoon. Neither team recorded a shot on goal in a scoreless first half, and Watterson's Stella Schiavone raced back to clear Hudson's best early chance as Maniar moved in on goal. Smith denied Maniar on a breakaway early in the second half, with Schiavone clearing the rebound, before Gresh finally broke through.
Hudson finished with four shots on goal; Sophie Scott recorded both of Watterson's shots on goal. Smith and Hudson goalkeeper Addie Frank each made two saves.
"We all knew coming in that Watterson was going to be difficult," Hudson coach Josh Huettich said. "Breaking down their defense was extraordinarily hard. They've let in few goals all year, so we talked a lot about how we could do it and it was a struggle throughout the whole game. Just being able to overcome that was fantastic."
"Credit to our girls. They saved the best game of their entire season for today. The control, the composure was just phenomenal, and I think we controlled most of the momentum of the game. It was awesome."
The title ends a long wait for Hudson, which had reached the state final six times and finished runner-up in 2025, 2001, 1999 and 1995. The Explorers' defense had not conceded a goal in seven consecutive games, dating to a 3-2 win over Walsh Jesuit on Oct. 5, and the goalkeeping duo of Frank and Hannah Gorman recorded 14 shutouts this season.
Watterson, which won the state title in 2024 by beating North Royalton 2-1 in a shootout, was denied a second championship in its third consecutive state tournament appearance. The Eagles finished 18-2-2.
"It was quite a battle for 80 minutes," Watterson coach Scott Dempsey said. "I don't feel like our team let down for one second. They played hard from start to finish. We talked about [how] the game could turn on any point in time on little moments, and that's how the game turned out, little moments."
"We're a very tight-knit group," Scott said. "We've all worked so hard to push each other so hard in practice. It's our last game all together with this team and it's definitely emotional that way, but we have no regrets. We played with our whole hearts."
Sources: The Columbus Dispatch, "Watterson girls soccer denied second state title in loss to Hudson" by Frank DiRenna (Nov. 14, 2026, full text verified); Akron Beacon Journal, "Hudson wins OHSAA girls soccer state title with win over Bishop Watterson" by Brad Bournival (Nov. 14, 2026, full text verified). Event date verified: the Division II final was played Saturday, November 14, 2026, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.
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