The Benjamin Logan girls soccer team saw its pursuit of a historic conference championship come up short, falling 5-0 to Springfield Shawnee in a matchup that determined the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division title.

The Raiders entered the contest with an opportunity to secure the first conference championship in program history with a victory. Instead, Shawnee’s offensive performance proved too much to overcome, leaving Benjamin Logan to settle for second place in the division based on the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams.

Shawnee senior Phoebe Fout led the way offensively, scoring four goals to power the Braves to victory. Senior Addison Mattern added a goal and an assist, while Stella Cantrell, Lola Derr, Hadley Mattern and Josie Sanford-Schmenk each contributed an assist in the winning effort.

The defeat was a disappointing end to the Raiders’ conference title bid, but it does little to diminish what has been an outstanding regular season for Benjamin Logan. The Raiders enter the postseason with a 12-3-2 overall record and an 8-2-1 mark in conference play. Shawnee finishes the regular season at 12-3-1 overall and 8-3-0 in conference competition.

Despite the result, head coach Hughes expressed pride in the team’s accomplishments and emphasized that the season still has plenty left to offer.

“I know it wasn’t the result we were looking for tonight, but we are extremely proud of the regular season we have been able to put together,” Hughes said. “12-3-2 is an amazing regular season, but we aren’t done yet.”

Hughes also believes the setback can serve as motivation as the Raiders prepare for tournament competition.

“This game I think will just make our girls hungry to get back at it, and we really look forward to playing better, learning from this, and turning our attention to KR and the tournament,” Hughes said.

Although the opportunity to claim the program’s first conference championship slipped away, Benjamin Logan has established itself as a contender throughout the season, putting together a 12-win campaign and earning a second-place finish in the division.

The Raiders will now shift their attention to the postseason, where they will look to put the loss behind them and make a run in tournament play. With a strong regular-season record behind them, the focus turns to responding to adversity and extending a successful campaign.

The conference championship may have eluded Benjamin Logan, but the Raiders still have an opportunity to finish the season on a high note.