CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (April 1, 2023) -- Rocky River scored the first nine goals of their Saturday non-conference battle at Walsh Jesuit High School, and the Pirates went on to earn a 16-4 victory over the Warriors.

Nine River players scored goals in what marked a bounce-back from a Thursday loss to Strongsville. The Striped Buccaneers scored 13 goals in the first half and three in the second; they outshot the Warriors 32-10 for the game.

When Walsh (4-2) scored at the 10:57-mark of the opening half, the Pirates had already tallied nine goals. Junior midfielder Daisy Thompson scored three goals in that rapid-fire start for River. Thompson would finish the day with four goals and four ground balls. Joining her as frequent contributors on the stat sheet were Grace DeWitt (2G, 2GB), Mackenzie Russell (2G, assist, 2 GB), and Alexis Tisler (3G).

Rocky River (5-1) won 15-of-22 (68.2%) draws and 22-of-37 (59.5% ground balls. The Pirates were a plus-9 in turnovers (10-19), and they held the Warriors to just six successful clears in 17 attempts (35.3%).

River and Walsh have been frequent foes over recent years. With regular-season and OHSAA playoff games each of the last two seasons (2021-22), the Pirates are now 5-0 against the Warriors since 2021. Since 2010, Rocky River is 13-4 against Walsh. The Buccaneers' 16 goals Saturday marked their most by either side over that span.

The Pirates are slated to return to Northern Ohio Lacrosse League action Tuesday when they travel to Avon Lake (7:30 p.m. opening draw).


by Skip Snow

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