COPLEY, Ohio -- It was a game of chills, spills, and thrills. And in the end for the Rocky River Pirates, it was a game that came up just short on goals or stops or a combination thereof. A game not lacking for even a second in heart, hustle, emotion, and drama. A game played out with the harshest of spoils: win and advance; lose and end the season (and in some cases, careers). A game not decided by the 50 minutes allotted. But a game decided nonetheless by a Chagrin Falls Tiger goal, in a 10-9 Pirate defeat.
Rallying from a 7-3 halftime deficit, the Tigers beat the Pirates 10-9 in an overtime semifinal of the DII Buckeye State tournament Wednesday. In a game delayed by lightning bolts and a torrential downpour of rain, the Buccaneers and Tigers traded lightning-charge attacks and torrential waves of momentum. A game-winning goal by sophomore Alex Chinnici -- 21 seconds before the contest spilled into a second overtime session -- won it for Chagrin Falls, which now advances to a Saturday-morning final against Cincinnati Mariemont to decide the DII OHSAA Girls Lacrosse champion (10 a.m. opening draw, Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio).
For the Tigers, that game will be for the state title in the spring of 2022. After a battle for the ages Wednesday night at Copley Stadium.
The first shot fired in that Tiger-Pirate tussle was a goal by Rocky River (Kaitlyn Byrne at 23:52 of the first half, off a theft by Daisy Thompson). Byrne's twine-finder was answered in quick order by Chagrin Falls (Peyton Gellin). And its goal was volleyed back by an Ella Nejad score less than three minutes later ... which was countered by another Tiger score (Bailey Corto) without delay. After nine minutes, the two Northeast Ohio heavyweights had traded four goals (2-2) through the traffic of twice as many turnovers.
Defensive footwork was quick on both sides, and sticks were quicker still. And they would be all night in a game that featured few sloppy plays but still 34 turnovers (RR 15, CF 19). Gellin and fellow seniors Sarah Burgess, Madalyn Couch, Lilly Wolf, and Jane Peck were dialed in on upending many a Pirate cross. Ball-hawking Buccaneers like Reagan Connelly (two ground balls, caused turnover), Thompson (2 GB, 2 CT), Ella Russell, Kalyn Scalabrino (1 GB, 1 CT), Madeline Lundin (1 GB), and Ava Blair (1 GB, 1 CT) comprised River's spill squad.
The rides on both sides were tenacious, and trips across the middle 40 yards of the field were often choppy, frantic efforts, with ball carriers pinballing from defender-to-defender, often unsuccessful in keeping the pellet along for the ride.
Still, some offense seeped through. A Chinnici goal at 15:43 of the first lifted Chagrin Falls to its first lead. The next time the Tigers would lead the game would be two hours later, under the stadium lights, amidst a mighty roar from the Chagrin faithful on a field flooded with polar-opposite emotions of elation and despair.
That first Tiger lead lasted all of three minutes-and-9 seconds. It was ended by Olivia Konopka's 100th career goal, and the two sides went into the final 10 minutes of the first half tied 3-3.
The Maroon & White made the best of those 10 minutes. Goals by sophomore Mackenzie Russell bracketed two scores (Byrne, Alexis Tisler) set up by nifty ballhandling and crisp passing. Both goals were assisted by Ella Nejad. The Tisler score capped off a marvelous Konopka-to-Nejad-to-Tisler play crisscrossing the the slot. Russell's second of the night came at the end of a mad dash down the field, her shot fired as time expired in the opening half. That goal sent River into halftime leading 7-3.
Senior goalkeeper Hannah Burgess was responsible for much of that four-goal cushion. Burgess made five saves across the first 25 minutes of play. Three of those came on Chagrin's last three shots of the half.
The second half was all-defense-all-the-time for the first seven minutes. Those seven minutes could well be packaged as a stick-check how-to video. Players on both sides spilled possession after possession. The tense exchange delayed the first shot attempt of the second half until the 16:45-mark. The first goal -- a Sarah Burgess netfinder -- came 15 seconds later.
The Tigers broke through for two more scores (Chinnici, Gellin) -- against one by River (Byrne) --before the half reached the 10-minute mark. Chagrin's offense held sway over those middle minutes of the half. The Tigers would outshoot the Pirates 8-5 in the second half. But Rocky River (18-3) -- winner of eight straight games since losing at Chagrin Falls April 27 -- still led by two (8-6) when the battled raged into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
A tremendous, sharp-angle runner from freshman Grace DeWitt jolted the River lead to three at the 5:08-mark. But the Tigers showed their stripes, clawing back: first with Gellin's third of the night (at 4:32), then with Chinnici's third (at 3:10). Both Chagrin Falls (16-4) goals were assisted by Aubree Daugherty, who finished the evening with four helpers.
Rocky River's one-goal advantage (9-8) made it to within 16 seconds of the finish line. But Chagrin's third free-position goal of the night (Daugherty) deflated that cushion and sent the game into a three-minute overtime.
After a season really comprised of three seasons weather-wise, Chagrin Falls and Rocky River went into that overtime session each having scored exactly 275 goals on the year. After a winter, spring, and summer, only a failure to get goal No. 276 would bring on a fall.
And both goalkeepers would delay that fall in the early moments of the overtime. Sophomore Kiera Moran made a monster save for the Tigers. Burgess returned serve with a stop of her own. Then Moran again. Then, with 21 seconds remaining in the extra session, a masterful dodge by Chinnici got her in position to launch a top-shelf effort from 7 yards out. The shot dented twine. And sunk the Pirates.
A game delayed by 90 minutes and then comprised of 3,279 seconds was ended like a thunder clap. And the team that led the contest for 3,051 seconds came up one goal short.
It was a Pirate team that went by the "You ain't seen nothin' yet" slogan all season. A refrain that now requires an answer.
Yes, we have, ladies. We saw something all along the way. Evident in every tic-toe-goal and every defensive triumph. And in the actions and attitude of a mercilessly deep roster of players who do a lot of things incredibly well, on and off the field.
We saw it all season. And we remain tremendously impressed.
CANNON FIRE ...
QUOTABLE: "The girls played the hearts out and left it all on the field. I could not be more proud." -- head coach Colleen Hile
NOTABLE: Rocky River release region and state award winners on Saturday. The awards made for a Pirate haul. Two Rocky River players (Kaitlyn Byrne, Kalyn Scalabrino) were tabbed as First Team All-Ohio performers. Four more players (Hannah Burgess, Madeline Lundin, Ella Nejad, Daisy Thompson) earned Second Team all-Buckeye State honors while earning First Team All-Region 5 nods. Olivia Konopka was named an All-region first teamer; Grace DeWitt was recognized as an All-Region 5 second teamer. Mackenzie Russell and Alexis Tisler were tabbed as all-region honorable mentions. ... Burgess was named Region 5 Goalkeeper of the Year. Byrne earned Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Scalabrino was hailed as the Region 5 Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Colleen Hile was named Region 5 Coach of the Year.
by Skip Snow
# # # RR # # #