NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio – A pair of quick-answer goals after an early Bucks strike leapfrogged Rocky River into a 2-1 lead in the 12th minute of Thursday’s title match in the DII
Elyria District Tournament. The goals were scored by Maya Patti
and Samantha Miller. And after 58 more taut minutes of playoff soccer, those
scores still had the Pirates in front. The game clock winking down to triple
zeroes sealed it: the Rocky River Pirates defeated Buckeye, 2-1, and are headed
to region tournament play.
Lauren Petrovich gave the Bucks (12-4-1) an early lead when
she scored a goal in the seventh minute. With Rocky River downing Buckeye, 1-0,
when the two Great Lakes Conference foes met on Sept. 4, and with both teams
holding foes under one goal per game on the season, the Petrovich marker loomed
large.
And then the Pirate offense came up large. In the 10th minute, Rocky River (13-5-1) evened the affair at 1-1 when Maya Patti got behind the Buckeye defense and popped the ball past Bucks ‘keeper Alexa Atlasy and into the left side of the net.
Two minutes later, the aggressive and athletic presence of
Taylor Byall drew a Buckeye penalty in the box. Samantha Miller booted home the
ensuing penalty kick to vault River into a 2-1 lead.
The balance of the first half was a more conservative
exchange, and the Pirates went into halftime leading, 2-1, on the scoreboard
and 5-4 in the exchange of shots.
The Maroon & White would outshoot the Bucks, 4-1, over
the first 18 minutes of the second half. The goal differential, however,
remained at one.
And so it remained into the 65th minute. And then
the 75th. And finally, the 80th, at which point the lead
became a final. And the differential then wound its way onto the pages of the
Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament brackets.
And now the Rocky River name spills over from the district
brackets to the regional set.
For the first time since 2013.
CANNON FIRE …
STAT SHEET: Each side was credited with nine shots on Thursday. Buckeye put six on goal to Rocky River’s four. Goalkeeper Sabrina Rick made five saves for the Pirates. … Maya Patti’s goal marked her 14th of the season. She has five goals over Rocky River’s last three games. Miller’s goal marked her seventh of the season.
RIVER GOES FOURTH: With a now six-game win streak in tow, Rocky River is headed into its fourth regional tournament bracket. The Pirates made the region tournament stage in three straight seasons, from 2011-13.
by Skip Snow
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