The Bexley High School girls soccer team's return to the Division II state tournament is about attitude.

Different styles of plays, tight games, just-missed shots, injuries and more have all been a part of the Lions' postseason story. Just one could have short-circuited the run, yet Bexley advanced to a state semifinal after two years away with a 2-0 victory over Middletown Fenwick last Saturday at Hilliard Bradley.

"It's the mentality of the team," senior defender Rebecca Carroll said. "We have an inner confidence and trust each other. We know everyone will do what it takes to win."

The Lions took a 19-0-3 record into their semifinal against Cincinnati Wyoming last Wednesday at Cedarville University. Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown played St Mary's Memorial in the other semifinal.

The state championship is at 10 a.m. Saturday at Crew Stadium.

Bexley has reached the state tournament eight times in the last 11 years, but its last trip was in 2006 when it lost to Hamilton Badin 1-0 in a semifinal. The Lions advanced the state championship once, falling to Bay Village Bay 2-1 in overtime in 1999.

Bexley was first in the final state poll. Wyoming was second, Hathaway Brown was eighth and St. Mary's Memorial was unranked.

And while the rankings may reflect a big-time semifinal for the Lions, a game on Saturday would be a tough affair too. Hathaway Brown advanced to its third consecutive state tournament and won the title in 2007.

St. Mary's Memorial is hot with 10 consecutive victories, including a 2-1 regional-semifinal decision over sixth-ranked Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.

"We were talking before the game and said there was a time when we felt like (the state tournament) was an every-year thing," said Lions coach Scott Dempsey, whose team beat Warsaw River View 5-0 in a regional semifinal Nov. 4. "The last few years we have had some difficulty against outstanding teams in Hamilton Badin and Bishop Fenwick (in regional semifinals). But we felt like it was our time to take that step again."

Bexley advanced by staying calm against Fenwick.

The Lions played just as they had against the packed-in defense of Grandview in a district semifinal, the straight-ahead style of Jonathan Alder in the district championship, and the physical play of River View in a regional semifinal.

Making the challenge even more difficult was the Falcons' impressive skill and the threat of giving up a big play in a swirling wind that made every ball in the air an adventure. Bexley met the challenge, though, and got two second-half goals from its offensive leader, senior Leah Levey.

The first came with 12 minutes, 19 seconds to play. Charlotte Myers took an indirect kick deep in Falcons' territory. Levey, who started at the near post, circled around and found herself unmarked in the box near the far post. With time to settle the ball, she slotted it in the upper corner of the net.

The second goal came less than three minutes later. Levey was just inside the box when she drilled a shot to the upper far post at the 9:50 mark. The scores gave her 10 goals in the postseason and 25 on the year.

"Leah is a fantastic player and young lady," said Fenwick coach Tom McEwan, whose team ended the season 12-4-5. "Good players make you pay when you leave them alone and she did that."

The Lions' defense held on after the second goal, even when senior defender Rachael Crane left the game with a knee injury. Juniors Meredith DeLong and Kendra Wilson were especially effective clearing away challenges in the back.

"We worked hard all year on developing depth," Dempsey said. "When Rachael got dinged on the knee, players had to step in and fill the role and they did.

"This team has really grown as the season has gone on. They have embraced every experience, gotten better and learned from them. They know there's always a chance."

That growth has Bexley back at the state tournament. Its eight appearances tie it for second-most in Ohio girls soccer history with Centerville, Cincinnati St. Ursula and Strongsville. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit is the all-time leader. It advanced this season in Division I, marking its ninth appearance.

"It feels great to be going back to the state," Levey said. "It's nice that the seniors are leading our teammates to a place they have never been and that it's full circle for us."