Delaware Rising opens playoff push against Ohio City Sunday morning
It’s been a memorable 2026 campaign for the women of Delaware Rising, as the club completed a historic undefeated regular season, finishing 7-0-0 and securing the No. 1 seed in the Northern Ohio Soccer League (NOSL) Women’s Division.
Now, Rising looks to continue its remarkable run against a familiar foe in Ohio City SC.
The rivalry dates back to the inaugural NOSL Women’s Division championship match in 2023, when the two clubs squared off on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Delaware Rising claimed a 2-1 victory thanks to penalty kick goals from Kindall Duke and Sara Gundler, capturing the league’s first-ever women’s title.
The rivalry has only intensified since.
Ohio City SC earned its revenge in last year’s semifinal, defeating Rising 5-1 in Cleveland to end Delaware’s postseason run. Now, the two sides meet once again in a winner-take-all showdown, with Delaware perhaps carrying a slight psychological edge after defeating Ohio City 2-0 earlier this season.
Natalie Dye (Detroit Mercy) and Avery Miller (Queens) found the back of the net in that victory, while goalkeeper Ella Schwertfager (Otterbein) reminded everyone why she’s among the league’s top keepers, producing a spectacular double save to preserve the clean sheet.
More history will be written in this rivalry on Sunday morning, with kickoff scheduled for 11 AM.