MONTICELLO - Ever notice how a busted dam always starts with a leak the size of a pinhole?

The Monticello soccer team wasted no time turning that leak into a raging flood in Tuesday's Class A regional title game against St. Teresa.

In one moment, a Bulldog defender was making a crucial mistake, missing completely while attempting to clear the ball. Monticello's Blake Doane came slicing through the next moment, putting the ball in the back of the net and setting off what would become a 4-0 victory for the Sages.

"I was always taught to crash it, crash it, crash it, because if the defense makes a mistake, I'll be right there to get a shot," Doane said. "The ball went right over his leg, and I was right there to pick it up. I had enough time to look up and pick the direction I wanted to shoot it."Up to that point, it had been a close game, with each team trying to cash in on various opportunities. After that point, it was soccer's version of a jailbreak.

The Sages (12-6-2) hit the crossbar within minutes of scoring. Moments after that, Monticello pumped in two goals in a 29-second span to put things away.

The second one was proof that it was Monticello's day. Erik Oles unleashed a bender that beat St. Teresa goalie Andrew Csepp. The ball banged off the post but still went in off of Csepp's back, who dove to stop the shot.

Doane finished off the scoring when he poked home a cross from Jacob Hanselman.

At that point, Monticello goal keeper Dillon Docherty, who made 10 saves, could finally breathe easy.

"I was so nervous all day today. I usually don't get relaxed in games, but when we got our fourth goal, I calmed down a little bit and got excited about winning," Docherty said.

It was Monticello's first piece of soccer hardware since winning a sectional in 2005 and going to state under a different format.

Under this format, the Sages will hit the road on Thursday to play Danville Schlarman in the Chillicothe Sectional semifinals.

"The boys played well, all of them, from top to bottom," Monticello coach Lois Cryder said. "And we came out on top with a shutout, which I can't believe."

St. Teresa (15-4-2) had the majority of the chances in the first half, perhaps none better than the flurry it created in the first minute of the game.

But scoring opportunities were less frequent in the second half and non-existent after Monticello got on the board.

"Their passing was much crisper. They played an excellent game," St. Teresa coach Leo Berger said.

Now the Sages will venture away from Okaw Valley Conference foes in an attempt to keep their season going. If they can match Tuesday's effort, they have a chance to do just that.

"With our team, if we get down, our morale goes down pretty low, but once we get up, we're a tough team to stop," Doane said. "As long as we have fun on the field, we play so much better. If we're having fun, we win every single time."

MONTICELLO 4, ST. TERESA 0

At Monticello

Monticello, goals: Blake Doane 2, CJ Davison, Erik Oles; assists: Brett Winterbottom, Justin Duncan, Jacob Hanselman. Goalie Dillon Docherty had 10 saves.

St. Teresa goalie Andrew Csepp had 5 saves.

(Monticello - 12-6-2; next: Thursday vs. Danville Schlarman in Chillicothe Sectional semifinal. St. Teresa - 15-4-2.)

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