Preview: Talawanda boys soccer begins playoffs with home matchup against Wilmington

The Talawanda High School boys soccer team takes to the field for the first time in the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) postseason for a home match against Wilmington High School. 

Sitting as the seventh seed following a 12-4-1 overall performance this season, and a 5-4-1 record in Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL) play, the Brave won’t have to travel 75 minutes east. Instead, they’ll have the confines of a familiar locker room and field to try and advance into the second round. 

Talawanda began the season hot, winning eight games in a row and going undefeated through nine before a 3-0 loss on the road at Monroe High School. Following the loss, the Brave rattled off three more wins in a row, moving their record to 11-1-1 and conference record to 4-1-1. 

However, back-to-back games at home against Monroe and on the road at Bellbrook High School led to two more losses. The group split the final two games of the regular season with a 9-0 win against Edgewood High School, and a 4-0 loss against Bellbrook once again.

While the 5-4-1 conference record may not look as impressive at first glance, the four losses came against the same two teams. Bellbrook and Monroe, the top two teams in the SWBL, ended with 9-0-1 and 8-1-1 conference records, respectively. 

Bellbrook enters the playoffs as a No. 2 seed and Monroe a No. 5 in their respective sides of the Southwest District/Sectional bracket.

“I’m really pleased with our team’s success over the course of the season,” Brave Head Coach Jeremy Jones said. “They performed at such a high level. (I’m) just really proud of what they were able to accomplish. I think they rose above the expectations of what the coaching staff thought we might be able to accomplish.”

The Brave were undefeated in non-conference play and allowed only one non-conference goal all season in the first game against Taylor High School. They finished the year with 11 shutouts in 17 games thanks to leadership from senior defender and captain, Austin Vonderhaar. 

Every player in defense for Talawanda is a new starter, including sophomore goalkeeper, Sam Hogan. However, despite Hogan being second in the SWBL in shutouts with 7.5, he’s only 10th in total saves, meaning the back line has done a good job of not allowing shots.

As for the offense, senior forward Noel Albarran led the charge with 22 goals in 10 games played, good for first in the SWBL. And his dynamic playmaker, junior forward Ryder Hicks, finished second in the conference in assists with 13. 

According to Jones, he and his coaching staff devised five different systems that were implemented over the course of the season. And while there were consistent pieces played across all five, an underrated part of this Brave team is their depth. Every player was put in different spots at some point.

Now, Talawanda will need all facets of their roster – the offense and, especially, defense – to slow down a strong Wilmington team.

The Hurricane finished their season with a 15-1-0 record, including an undefeated 10-0-0 in Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC) play. 

Wilmington’s only loss this season came on the road against Waynesville High School, 4-0. In the Ohio boys soccer rankings, the Hurricane sit at 153, while Talawanda ranks 190th. 

The main weapon for Wilmington is senior forward Ben Angelica, who leads the SBAAC and is third-best in the state with 50 goals. The next-closest player behind Angelica scored 31. 

Interestingly, the Hurricane don’t have a player with 10 or more assists despite the incredible output from their leading scorer Angelica. In 17 games, freshman midfielder Luther Johnson is the closest, ending the season with nine. 

Regardless of the assist numbers, the Wilmington attack is lethal and will be a good test for a Talawanda backline early in the postseason.

“Wilmington is a strong program and a strong team,” Jones said. “I’ve never seen them play, but I paid attention to their record last year, and I know they had great success and have continued that in an outstanding way in their own conference. They’ve got a powerhouse offensive attack. Being a 7 and 8 seed in a playoff game, what could be better for an opening round match? They’ll present a good challenge for us for sure.”

Under first year Head Coach Bobby Oetzel and following a conference championship in 2025, Wilmington comes in looking to recreate their regular season success in the postseason. 

Despite being the “underdog” in this first round matchup, the Hurricane will not be treated as one by the home squad. For the Brave, the focus has been on, of course, understanding the opponent, and recovery, staying present and understanding what the opportunity means for the program.

 “They’re stoked to have a home playoff match,” Jones said. “I know that hasn’t happened for the team in at least the last five years. They’re really excited to have this opportunity. We haven’t had a game in two weeks, so we’ve really focused on having the guys stay as loose and active as possible. I’m thankful we’ve had time to rest and recover.”

While practices have been of a somewhat low intensity, Jones said the players are still having fun. The group has been preparing by playing “soccer-tennis” on the Talawanda tennis courts, a game focused on working with first touches of the ball. And they’ve been participating in yoga sessions to work on breathing and connectivity, led by athletic trainer Kendall Cramer, who is also a certified yoga instructor.

The Talawanda and Wilmington boys soccer teams square off in the first round of the OHSAA postseason at 7 p.m on Oct. 24 at Talawanda High School.