ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- A couple of games into the 2021 state tournament brackets, and the Pirates are two-for-Toledo. On Saturday, Rocky River followed its second-round win over Toledo Central Catholic with a 12-4 regional quarterfinal victory over Toledo Notre Dame.
A sharp ball-control offense led by Olivia Konopka and a stingy defense paced by Madeline Lundin, Kalyn Scalabrino, and Hannah Burgess made for a productive afternoon for the No. 1 seed in the Region 5 bracket of the DII Ohio Girls Lacrosse Tournament. Allie Kysela and Iris Polly scored three goals each; Ella Nejad, Blair Willse, and Grace Harte added two apiece. The thread line through all their collective works was Konopka, who logged seven assists in the Region 5 tilt against the ninth-seeded Eagles.
But the Eagles did go toe-to-toe with the Pirates (13-6) in the early going. When senior midfielder Lily Rieman planted a goal at the 9:11-mark of the opening half, Note Dame was within one (3-2) of the Striped Buccaneers. If not for the fine cage work of Burgess, the Eagles likely would have held a lead at that juncture. The River goalkeeper clocked four saves in the opening 11 minutes, six for the first half, and nine for the game. More than a couple of her first-half saves were high degree-of-difficulty stops that preserved an at-the-time tenuous River lead.
The Double-R got its offense cranked up late in the first half. A fine look-and-go created by the tandem of Lauren Solecki and Iris Polly at 4:58 ignited a three-goals-in-90 seconds surge which would propel River to a 7-2 lead at the half.
Notre Dame's Amanda Pawlecki landed the first goal of the second half, but an aggressive and deep midfield would help River pitch a shutout for the next 21 minutes of game play. That span saw the Pirates score five times, with Konopka feeding shooters on three of those efforts.
For the game, Rocky River stick-checked its way to 15 caused turnovers. Scalabrino (5 CT) and Lundin (3 CT) combined to claim more than half of those spills. Both were active on ensuing scoops as well: Scalabrino logged five ground balls; Lundin had four. Iris Polly had a team-high seven ground balls on the day. Nejad led a strong team performance on midfield scrums: River bested Notre Dame on 14-of-17 draws.
CANNON FIRE ...
ON DECK: Rocky River will host a Region 5 semifinal game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Pirates' foe will be No. 5 Wooster which advanced with a 17-9 win over Ottawa Hills on Saturday evening.
RIVER NOLLS BEST: The All-Northern Ohio Lacrosse League Team was announced on Friday. Pirates recognized as All-NOLL performers were junior Ella Nejad, senior Allie Kysela, sophomore Olivia Konopka, and senior Maya Patti. Tabbed as honorable mentions were junior Hannah Burgess and sophomore Iris Polly. The Pirates finished in a tie for second place in the inaugural NOLL standings. The Striped Buccaneers went 6-2 in eight league league games.
NET GAINS: With her seven assists Saturday, Olivia Konopka now has a team-high 24 on the season. Konopka has registered 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over River's two playoff games. ... Ella Nejad has scored multiple goals in three straight games. ... Allie Kysela's second goal Saturday marked her 40th of the season. Kysela now has 41 goals this season and 72 in her career.
by Skip Snow
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