When the tournament trail began for the Fenwick girls soccer team, coach Tom McEwan knew there were several possible roadblocks between his squad and a state title.

Tonight at Hamilton High School, the Falcons will face their toughest — and last — test prior to the state finals when they square off against defending state champ Summit Country Day. Fenwick enters the contest as the top-ranked Division III team in the state while Summit is ranked second.

“It is not a surprise it is them,” McEwan said as his 17-1-3 squad prepares for the 7 p.m. battle. “It could have been any one of a number of strong teams out of Cincinnati. We definitely knew we would have our hands full.”

The two squads met at Summit on Sept. 22 with Fenwick taking a 1-0 win. However, McEwan puts no stock in the game a month and a half ago.

“I think you can throw the regular-season game out because you know whether you win or lose, you are going to play the next game,” McEwan said. “In the tournament, there is a sense of urgency and it is going to take our best effort. You can forget the regular season because this is a whole new game.”

The Falcons have rolled into the state semis, outscoring their opponents through five tournament games 24-0 and enter allowing just eight goals all season.

Despite the run of eight shutouts in their last nine games, McEwan has been impressed with how the Falcons have played when they have been down this year. Fenwick trailed Badin 1-0 late in the game before earning a 1-1 tie earlier in the year in a game between two state-ranked teams.

“This group is probably one of the best under pressure,” McEwan said. “They don’t panic. They are very composed. They know what they need to do and they stay patient, play our game and don’t panic. We are young, but very even-keeled.”

Tonight, that game plan will center around taking care of the ball and not making mistakes during the match and capitalizing if Summit does.

“We have to minimize our mistakes,” McEwan said. “Rather it is us, or Summit, we are going to have to play close to a perfect game because both teams are too skilled. It is No. 1 against No. 2, what more can you ask for? It should be a great game.”