FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio – Rocky River opened its 2020 season with a 7-2 victory over the Fairview Warriors on Tuesday night.
For a second straight year, the annual Rockport Cup game doubled as a Great Lakes Conference affair. So, the Pirates retained possession of the westside neighborhood trophy and logged a conference win on the same summer evening. Rocky River got two goals each from junior Gold Rrustemaj, senior Nate Keeling, and senior Michael Triplett, as the program ran its all-time Rockport record to 11-0. River’s seven goals mark a single-game series high in meetings tagged with the trophy moniker (2010-20). Tuesday’s victory runs the Pirates’ all-time record against the Warriors to 37-15-6.
A solid Pirate scoring chance went by the wayside four minutes into Tuesday’s contest when Fairview goalkeeper Tyler Danburg turned aside a penalty kick.
Rrustemaj opened the game’s scoring by finishing off a feed from Triplett in the 15th minute. DeClerck put a well-placed, bottom-right shot into the net in the 25th minute to add to River’s early lead.
The balance of the opening half was a one-for-one exchange with Fairview (0-1, 0-1 GLC) scoring off a corner in the 30th minute and Rocky River (1-0, 1-0) planting its third of the game in the 33rd (DeClerck on a short-sider from the right side of the box).
The score remained 3-1 until 12 minutes after halftime when Keeling scored the front half of a pair in two minutes’ time. Keeling’s first goal was assisted by Hogan Kern and DeClerck. Keeling’s second goal (54th minute) came on a rebound recovery on the doorstep.
Keeling set up the Pirates’ sixth goal when a Gold Rrustemaj indirect free kick found twine in the 68th minute. The Warriors countered in the 74th minute. River capped off the scoring with a Triplett netfinder in the final minute.
Junior Ian Tomsik and sophomore Will DeClerck split time minding the Pirate cage. Danburg finished with 12 saves for the Warriors.
Dating back to 2017, the Sons of Blackbeard have now won four straight season openers.
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