RICHFIELD, Ohio – Rocky River’s marvelous 2020 season continues. And, courtesy a sharp 2-0 win over Revere on Saturday, that season now winds its way past the regional stage in the Buckeye State brackets because the Pirates are DII Region 5 champs. [
DII Region 5 bracket]
Saturday’s win over the Minutemen – on two goals by freshman Ava Patti and a significant edge in shots and possession time – continues a campaign that hasn’t yet witnessed a Pirate setback. Rocky River (19-0-2) now advances to a
DII Ohio Tournament semifinal against Mansfield Madison. The Pirates and Rams – winners of a 3-1 region final against St. Mary’s Memorial -- will meet Tuesday (site TBD); the winner of that contest will play in the state championship match which is scheduled for Nov. 13 (MAPFRE Stadium—Columbus, Ohio, 4 p.m.).
But the matter of the moment on Saturday in Richfield was a battle against a good Revere team playing superb defense in the playoffs. And the Pirates were ready to shine in that moment. With two goals against a team that had yielded just one over four previous playoff tilts and a healthy dose of shutdown defense, the Maroon & White prevailed in a second straight November road test.
Rocky River got things going midway through the opening frame. Good River pressure over the middle minutes of the first half stretched the Revere (14-5-2) defense, and the Pirate attack culminated in a tremendous chance set up by Keira Vesy in the 22nd minute. A masterful Vesy through-ball threaded to Ava Patti from midfield caught the fleet-footed freshman in stride. Patti chased down the feed and beat the Revere ‘keeper with a one-on-one move and a well-placed shot.
The goal was part of some significant field tilt in the first half, a period that ended with the Pirates leading, 1-0.
Ealy in a second half, a big chance generated by Ava and Maya Patti fell by the wayside. The Minutemen then started to gain some traction at the other end. An alert, aggressive, and athletic Pirate defense was ready.
Key plays were turned in by Vesy, Cara McKenna, and Addie Harris – among others – limiting the stress Revere would put on River goalkeeper Sabrina Rick. An intercepted pass here. A tackle there. Sharp outlets to comrades in visiting whites. Deadly counterstrikes against the host blue-and-reds.
At the end of one of Revere’s surges were two magnificent scoring opportunities for Ava Patti – one set up with sensational moves through the Revere defense (67th minute); another initiated by a terrific pass by McKenna (71st). Both were thwarted with A-plus saves by the Minutemen ‘keeper.
The next (and final) surge by the Minutemen was an apt one for their moniker, for it lasted no more than 60 seconds. The rest of the way – with a carom off the post on a header by Sophia Murray in the 75th minute and then a 79th minute goal by Ava Patti – was all-River.
Patti’s twine-finder came on a put-back of an initial shot and save. It marked her 12th of these playoffs. A dynamite dozen from a talented newcomer finding her stride in the middle of a dangerous Pirate attack.
The win marked Rocky River’s 16th in a row. That mark ties a program record (2013), but with all due respect to the 2013 state-title squad and the 15 other foes in the 2020 streak, it’s a record that pales in importance compared to the recent win streaks attached to this run:
The one-game win streaks when anything else results in a busted bracket. Tab Saturday’s win at Revere as being just such a streak – an impressive one-game win streak. One turned in by an impressive Region 5 title team.
CANNON FIRE …
RANK AND FILE: Saturday’s game in Revere was a matchup of ranked soccer squads. The Pirates went into the postseason ranked No. 3 in the DII Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association poll; the Minutemen were ranked No. 11.
NET EFFECT: Ava Patti has now scored 27 goals in 2020. That total marks the Pirates’ most in a single season since Abby Elinsky found the back of the net a program-record 43 times in 2013.
BAGEL SHOP: Saturday’s 2-0 victory marked Rocky River’s 15th shutout of the season. That’s a new single-season program record, eclipsing the 14 goose eggs hoisted by River’s state champion team in 2013. Goalkeeper Sabrina Rick has been in net for all 15 shutouts in 2020; she passes Sara Connelly (2013) for the corresponding individual single-season mark. Rick now has 27 shutouts in her career; only Kim Leitch (2008-11) has registered more in a Pirate uniform. Leitch logged 31 clean sheets for the Maroon & White. … Since Oct. 12 – in two regular- and five postseason games – the Pirates have outscored their opponents, 32-2.
by Skip Snow
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