ROCKY RIVER, Ohio – Rocky River yielded three quick goals to the Hoover Vikings over the opening moments of Friday night’s game at Rocky River Stadium. That start vaulted the visiting Vikings to a 14-2 win over the Pirates, who have now lost three in a row.
Hoover (9-3) tallied goals at 10:20, 9:52 and 9:41 of the first quarter. With a high-octane attack that went into the game ranked third in the state in offense (DI, 14.7 goals per game), the Vikings extended their lead to 5-0 before the Pirates found their way onto the scoreboard.
Rocky River (7-5) got that first goal off the stick of Aaron Kosmerl at 4:17 of the second. And that would be River’s lone netfinder by the time halftime rolled around and the two teams came off the field separated by five goals.
The Vikings got some extended man-up time in a second half that saw them outscore the Pirates, 8-1. For the game, Hoover outshot Rocky River, 38-24. The Vikings put 24 shots on goal to River’s 11.
Hoover edged out the Pirates in most possession-related stats: the Vikings were a plus in possessions gained on turnovers, face-offs and ground balls.
Friday’s 12-goal differential on the minus side marks the program’s worst since May 22, 2015 (a 16-4 loss at Walsh Jesuit). River has been outscored, 31-10, over its last two games.
Friday’s contest against the Vikings marked the middle game of three straight at home for the Pirates. Rocky River will close out that stretch on Wednesday, May 3, when the Sons of Blackbeard host Hawken.
NOTES …
DOWN ON THE FARM: River battled Hoover to an 11-8 loss in Friday’s JV contest. Logan Fortune and Andrew Snow tallied three goals each, and William St. Pierre added two goals and an assist. The River JV crew is now 6-5 on the season.
ROAD BLOCK: River went 0-for-3 with the man advantage on Friday. Prior to their game against the Vikings, the Pirates had been 13-for-last-20 (65 percent). … Junior defender Ben FitzGibbon registered three ground balls and two caused turnovers in Friday’s affair under the lights. Over River’s last four games, FitzGibbon has logged 14 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. He has 26 caused turnovers on the season.
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