ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (March 22, 2025) -- On Saturday, Rocky River opened its 2025 campaign with a solid 10-5 victory over Toledo St. John's. The Pirates doubling up the Titans on the scoreboard was matched by the team's performance on ground balls (37-19) and faceoffs (13-6), as the Maroon & White opened their 20th season.
The Double-R fell behind 1-0 early but then scored the next three goals of the contest and did not trail the Titans after the 7:17-mark of the opening quarter. The opening-day win (River is now 14-6 across 20 all-time openers) figured as a measure of retribution against a St. John's program that ousted the Pirates from the DII Buckeye State playoffs each of the last two springs. The Raiders and Titans had last met on May 28 when St. John's ended Rocky River's 2024 season with a 2-1 triumph. On Saturday, River displayed a style of defense that held the eventual DII runners-up (St. John's lost to Columbus St. Francis in the DII state title game) to two goals on that day 10 months ago.
The Pirates outshot the Titans 31-18, and Buccaneer defenders time and again impacted the quality of shots the visitors could muster. St. John's was held to just nine shots on goal for the game. Rocky River (1-0) was especially dominant over a 25-minute stretch that opened with a Connor Nesbett goal with two minutes remaining in the first half. From that moment until the final 72 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Pirates blanked the Titans 6-0.
Nesbett had two goals and two assists over that stretch and finished with six points (2G, 4A) for the game. The sophomore was one of six Pirates to find twine on the afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Michael Bebie (2G) and junior attackman Joe Smith (3G) joined Nesbett in netting multiple goals.
Other highlight performances were turned in by senior Dominic Ricketti (goal, two ground balls, two caused turnovers) and junior Ryan Taylor (1G, 2A, 12 GB, 2 CT, 8-3 on faceoffs). Bebie added 4 GB. Junior midfielder Simon Pensom scored a lone goal.
"This was an excellent team win," said coach Griffin Vehar, who opened his fourth season at the helm of the program. "Our guys showed trust in one another and in the process we've been training on."
Rocky River's next game will be Tuesday, when the Pirates open Northern Ohio Lacrosse League play with a road contest at Bay (Bay Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m.).
CANNON FIRE ...
MEET THE PIRATES: The 2025 Rocky River squad returns 13 lettermen from a 2024 team that went 14-6 and won two Buckeye State playoff games before being ousted by St. John's in a regional semifinal. Senior members of the 2025 Pirates are AJ Banerjee, Ben Bogre, Josh Hallis, Ayad Mehulic, Dominic Ricketti, Cam Ries, Will Romell, William Sawyer, and Tyler Stanciu. River's 2025 captains are Ricketti, Ries, Sawyer, and Stanciu.
LEAGUE LIFT-OFF VS. ROCKETS: River's game at Bay will open 2025 conference action. The Buccaneers will once again compete as members of the Northern Ohio Lacrosse League. The seven-team NOLL includes Avon, Avon Lake, Bay, Brunswick, Olmsted Falls, Rocky River, and Westlake. Rocky River went 4-2 across six circuit contests last spring.
EXTRA AMMO: Rocky River is now 10-1 over its last 11 games on home turf. The Pirates are now 15-5 across 20 all-time home openers. ... Dating back to May 7, River has allowed just 19 goals over its last six games. The 2024 Pirates had one of their best defensive seasons in program history, yielding just 4.6 goals per game.
by Skip Snow
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