Bellbrook and Alter’s girls soccer teams won Saturday to qualify for the Division II regional tournament, but that’s where the similarities end.

For Bellbrook, this was a new experience. The Eagles hung on for a 1-0 victory over Kenton Ridge at Northmont High School for their first district championship during head coach Doug Wampler’s six-year watch.

For Alter, this was the fulfillment of an expectation. The Knights, a state semifinalist last year, scored all of their goals in the second half to defeat Northwestern 3-0 for their ninth district championship since 1995.

Bellbrook’s victory was narrower than the width of a goal post. Rachael Pruitt’s shot from the left side of the box hit the right post and bounced in for a goal. Less than 20 seconds later, Kenton Ridge’s Brooke Sizemore took an almost identical shot, but her shot bounced off the right post and out of play.

Pruitt’s goal came on an assist from twin sister and fellow senior Corinn Pruitt, a combination Wampler said has produced many goals.

“I honestly didn’t think it went in at first because normally I shoot wide,” Rachael Pruitt said. “I was surprised, and I was really happy and glad that I took the shot.”

Bellbrook (15-2-2) will play Cincinnati McNicholas at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Centerville in the regional semifinals. The Eagles lost to McNicholas 2-0 in the district final last year.

“They’re very talented and they understand the style of how we obviously like to play on the ball,” Wampler said. “This group wants to be here. In the past you get to this point and they really don’t want to be here. This group wants to work hard every time.”

Kenton Ridge (15-3-2) typically does not possess the ball much and takes fewer shots, so Sizemore’s missed shot that came on a feed from Sara Thornton was by far the Cougars’ best opportunity.

“We don’t get a lot of shots, but we take the time to make sure the shots that we take are on frame,” Kenton Ridge coach Michael Sherrock said. “We were just inches away from being 1-1.”

Northwestern (16-4) had the misfortune of being in Alter’s bracket in consecutive years. Alter defeated Northwestern 3-0 in the district final last year, but Northwestern coach Vicki Packard-Cooper said this performance was much better for her young team.

“I don’t think it was a 3-0 game,” Packard-Cooper said. “Not to take anything away from the other teams, but I believe that Alter is the best team that comes from this area.

“I think our girls played very well. We only lose (leading scorer) Jo Byrum for next year, so that’s a great deal for us.”

Alter, which next plays Cincinnati Indian Hill at 7 p.m. Tuesday at West Lakota High School, took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the second half on the first of two goals by junior Avalee Hagerty.

“We were coming off a halftime speech where our coach was not very pleased with us, so we knew we needed to score right away,” Hagerty said.

Alter made it 2-0 with 13:26 left when Katie Grunder scored from close range on a crossing pass from Emma Bockrath.

“Northwestern did a good job of frustrating us in the first half,” said Alter second-year coach Javier Iriart. “The mentality changed (in the second half) and reality started to set in for them that time was running out. At 0-0 in the second half, you either step up or you go home.”