Little would change throughout the day and, with strong goal kicking performances by Welday and Wilson, the final score was Columbus 7.18.60 over Ohio Valley 3.7.25. When the play did fall off and end up back in defense, Peter Taylor put on an impressive performance, particularly early in the game, by immediately clearing it out each time up the side where strong teamwork from midfielder Brady Minich and left wing Eric Politz helped to win almost every loose ball and get the play back up to the offense. The ball would spend a significant majority of the game there where forwards Alex Sleeper and Chad Welday were granted numerous chances on goal with new-to-the-team Australian Gordon Loader coordinating the attack. From the first bounce, Brad Dailey gave a strong showing in the ruck against one of the River Rats best players, with mid-fielders David Wilson and freshly returned-to-the-team Clyde Simpson running through with the ball and putting it up into the forward line. True to the saying, this pace would continue all game as the Jacks would put an 18 in the behind column. The Jackaroos did just that by quickly gaining a 5.0.30 to 0.0.0 lead.
It is often said that you set the pace of the game in the 1st quarter, so come out fast and hard and cruise to victory. Nonetheless, the deeper bench and the numerous fans who made the trip were strong confidence boosters and after the first whistle a lack of confidence would never be an accurate descriptor of the team. Upon arriving at the fields, some new faces appeared beneath the anchored jerseys, a few of which carried distinct Aussie accents, and a concerned tone marked the Jacks pregame warmups. This raised many questions about whether the team could stand up to this challenge. The Jacks traveled well, bringing more players than the Rats, but were missing their MVP, runner up, and 3rd place finisher from 2011 in Chet Ridenour, Rob Ward, and Phil Sisia respectively.
The first ever opponent of the Jacks in 2008, this matchup has always held special importance for members of the club and is awash with emotions despite the lopsidedness of this rivalry with Columbus’s only loss coming during the regular season of 2010. On a cool June afternoon the Jackaroos went down South to take on the 2011 Division 4 champions, the Ohio Valley River Rats, in the home of the 2012 national tournament, Cincinnati, Ohio.
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