ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (April 26, 2024) -- Rocky River rolled to its 12th victory of the season, as the Pirates tamed the Tigers of Chagrin Falls High School 15-8 in non-conference Friday-night action at Rocky River Stadium.
After a frenetic back-and-forth exchange that had the home side down 5-2 early and 5-4 through the first quarter, the Maroon & White dominated the rest of the way. From the second quarter on, the Pirates (12-1) outshot the Tigers 25-6 and outscored them 11-4. And half of those four Chagrin Falls goals were endgame, garbage-time tallies coming long after the contest had swayed into the win column for the Double-R.
Bailey Corto and Emma Thatcher each scored twice in leading Chagrin Falls, the DII No. 14-ranked team in the Buckeye State (LaxNumbers), to the one-goal lead through the first period. Each would finish the night with three goals.
Mackenzie Russell lifted the lid on scoring in the second. Her free-position goal at the 11:27 mark tied the contest at 5-5. It was the first of six straight scores for the Pirates, four in the second quarter and two in the third.
Russell, Kaitlyn Byrne, and Grace DeWitt were an impactful trio on draws. And DeWitt, Russell, and Reagan Connelly displayed hustling, tactical, two-way play throughout an evening that saw the Buccaneers make big plays up and down property throughout.
River led 9-5 at halftime and 13-6 heading into the fourth. Connelly, Russell, and Alexis Tisler all scored twice during that surge over the middle quarters. A strong defense led by Byrne on the ride and Connelly, DeWitt, Addie Russell, and Mackenzie Russell at the other end stifled the Chagrin Falls offense. The Tigers got off just three combined shots over the second and third quarters.
Elle Mocho, DeWitt, and Tisler scored Rocky River's final three goals on the evening. Tisler finished with four goals and two assists; she crossed over the 50-point mark for the season during the game. Connelly (3G) and DeWitt (3G, 1A) also logged hat tricks for River. Connelly's output marked a season-high.
Mackenzie Russell registered five caused turnovers; she now has 30 spills for the season.
For the game, the Pirates -- tabbed DII No. 4 in the state, outshot the Tigers (5-5) 32-11.
The victory at the Lacrosse Grounds on Detroit Road marked Rocky River's first over Chagrin Falls since 2011. The Tigers beat the Pirates 10 straight times from 2013-22.
Friday's game closed out a busy week for the Pirates, who also played Tuesday and Thursday. Rocky River's next contest is slated for Tuesday, when the Striped Buccaneers visit Hudson.
CANNON FIRE ...
HOVER CRAFT: Acadia Hover logged two saves Friday. The first came late in the opening period and was a 10-bell effort stemming the tide of a Chagrin surge. That save marked the 100th of Hover's career.
GRACE-FUL STREAK: With her three goals Friday, Grace DeWitt has now scored in 10 straight games. That's the longest active goal streak on the team. The next-longest twine-finding streak belongs to Elle Mocho, with five.
by Skip Snow
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