BEREA, Ohio -- Rocky River blanked Berea-Midpark, 14-0, in Northern Ohio Lacrosse League action on Thursday night. Ten Pirates found the back the net in a one-sided contest that saw the Double-R register its first shutout since April 12, 2016 (15-0 vs. Bay).

The Pirates (2-1, 2-0 NOLL) scored a goal 12 seconds after the opening faceoff and never looked back. Sophomore midfielder Mack Massad won that opening draw and would go 17-1 on the night. Massad cashed in on the opening faceoff win with his first career goal; he would score two on the night. Sophomore Wesley Bennett scored three goals to lead a Rocky River attack which scored a half-dozen goals in each of the first two periods and logged its most shots in a single game (46) since May 14, 2018 (49 vs. Toledo Southview).  

Joining Bennett and Massad on the scoring rolls Thursday were senior Will Bennett (two goals), senior Aidan McDonald, senior Hayden Weaver, senior John Matis, sophomore Ryan Hildebrand, senior Danny Asmar, freshman Brody Hahn, and sophomore Tyler Fortune. The goals for McDonald, Asmar, Hahn, and Fortune marked career firsts.

The Pirates outshot the Titans, 46-9. They put 26 shots on frame to Berea's three, the latter figure marking River's stingiest effort since holding Avon to two shots on goal in a game nearly five years ago (April 6, 2016). Turnovers were credited as an uneven 12-for-21 trade in the visitors' favor. Ground balls were tabbed as a 46-13 edge for the Maroon & White. Hahn (three ground balls and two caused turnovers) and freshman Trent Delventhal (four ground balls) were sharp in the field game.

Rocky River's man-down unit assisted in the shutout, going 3-for-3 on the heels of a shaky 0-for-4 performance against Avon on  

Senior Reece Rochester (12 minutes, one save) and sophomore Carter Smith (36 minutes, two saves) split time in the River cage.

The Sons of Blackbeard are slated to host Toledo St. Francis in a non-conference game on Saturday (1 p.m. opening faceoff).



by Skip Snow