ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- A Monday night futbol classic. In a late-season battle of ranked-versus-ranked, the Rocky River Pirates turned in a masterful performance as they defeated the Chagrin Falls Tigers, 2-0.

A Bella Crompton first-half goal and a Taylor Byall effort in the second were the tallies of record in the non-conference tilt between No. 3 (DII Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association) Rocky River and No. 13 Chagrin Falls. For the Tigers, the twin netfinders marked the first they've allowed in a while: Chagrin Falls went into Monday's game off four straight shutout wins.

The match was marked by strong Pirate passing and focused, patient possessions. And with that, the River season continues to be marked by an unbeaten streak, one that has now reached 15 games. 

Rocky River (13-0-2) struck in the 25th minute, on a ball corralled near the short right corner by junior Sophia Murray, who deftly directed a pass to the low slot. Sophomore Bella Crompton pounced, whizzing an 8-yarder into the left side of the goal. The River goal -- Crompton's third of the season -- came after sustained pressure over the middle minutes of the first half. The likes of Taylor Byall, Cara McKenna, and Ava Patti were persistent thorns in the Tigers' paws over that time. It was a stretch that seemed to tire the visitors. Crompton was also part of that surge; she nearly scored on a hard 25-yarder in the 24th minute.

The first half played out with one-sided field tilt. Rock River took 16 shots, putting six on frame. Chagrin Falls managed just two shots -- one on and one off; they were separated by 30 minutes of game clock.

Playing downwind and with determination and a fast set of forwards, the Tigers (11-3-1) pushed back in the second half. Fleet feet got behind the Rocky River defense multiple times. Chagrin Falls was at its most dangerous over a five-minute stretch beginning in the 49th minute of the match. Senior goalkeeper Sabrina Rick made five saves over that span, and two came with a high degree of difficulty. Rick would post her 11th clean sheet of the season with a total of eight saves on the evening.

Senior forward Maya Patti helped steer the action back to more plays for Rick's opposite, Aerin Krebs. Patti's physical presence created several opportunities for the River attack late in the game. Those opportunities paid off in the 77th minute when she wheeled a pass to the left side that Taylor Byall nodded to the turf and then booted into the net for her seventh goal of the season.

In and around that second goal and throughout the night, Cara McKenna was invariably near the ball in diffusing plays over the middle 40 yards of turf. If a play got deep, Keira Vesy did likewise on the back line. Up and down the field all around those two was a network of tic-tac-toe passes. Passes that ran the Tigers ragged. And ran River's win streak to 10 games.
 
Over those 10 straight wins, the Pirates have now outscored foes, 37-2.

On an autumn evening fit for someone inclined to paint such things, Monday's late-season fray between the Pirates and Tigers was a mix of deep maroons and bright oranges fighting for the spoils on a field of green and under gold skies turned dark. The color bursting forth at the end was all-maroon. Bold and vibrant.


CANNON FIRE ...

FINAL NUMBERS: Ricky River finished the match with 25 shots to Chagrin's 10. The Pirates put eight shots on goal; Aerin Krebs registered six saves for the Tigers. The Pirates took five corner kicks to the Tigers' two.

ACCESS DENIED: With her 11th shutout of the 2020 season, Sabrina Rick now has 23 for her career. That total ties her with Sara Connelly (2012-13) for third-place on River career shutout list.

STREAK SENSE: Rocky River's 15-match unbeaten streak is the third-longest in program history. The Maroon & White pulled off streaks of 16 in 2010 and 23 in 2013. ... The Pirates are now 9-0-1 at home this season. River is 13-0-1 over its last 14 games on Detroit Road.

SENSATIONAL SERIES: Monday's match continued what has been a solid set of games between River and Chagrin Falls in recent years. Since 2015, the Pirates and Tigers have met six times. Rocky River is 3-2-1 over those games, with nine goals to the Tigers' six.


by Skip Snow