ROCKY RIVER, Ohio – Rocky River got a big goal from senior Samantha Miller and a pair of high-wire, circus-act saves from junior ‘keeper Sabrina Rick, and the Pirates held on to defeat the Buckeye Bucks, 1-0, in Wednesday night Great Lakes Conference action.
The Pirates (3-1, 2-0 GLC) handed Buckeye (3-1-1, 1-0) its
first setback of the season. Dating back to last season, the Bucks had been
undefeated (18-0-2) over their last 20 regular-season contests. That unbeaten
stretch included a 1-0 win over Rocky River on Sept. 17.
On Wednesday, the two sides battled to a scoreless – and near shot-less – first half. River would out-shoot Buckeye, 7-2, in the opening 40 minutes, but only two of the Pirates’ shots were on cage. The Bucks didn’t manage their first shot of the match until the 28th minute. The best
first-half scoring chance for either side in the first half was on a nifty theft
and a wide shot attempt by senior midfielder Lizzie Hamker in the 35th
minute.
Hamker was outstanding throughout in leveraging her quickness, agility and anticipation of the play in her vicinity. Multiple quick-pace playmaking opportunities sprung up around her feet. Maya Patti was on the receiving end of Hamker’s good work on more than a few occasions in the first. Those two and the quick-clearing back line of Miller, Kailey Budzar, Addie Harris and Ellie Duncan helped provide that 7-2 field tilt in the opening half.
The second stanza was written by the players on offense and
by the goalkeepers at each end of the turf at Rocky River Stadium. Buckeye
landed its first shot on goal for the game in the 46th minute. The
Bucks put two on frame in quick order, and Sabrina Rick was up to the task in
swallowing up those efforts. The early minutes of the second half gave Rick and
the River defense plenty with which to busy themselves. In the 50th
minute, Rick made a monster save on a 35-yard whistler bound for the upper-left
90. Only a perfectly timed leap and an athletic swat of the ball kept it from
finding twine and giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
In the 60th minute it was once again the lightning quick feet of Lizzie Hamker setting up the Pirates with a scoring chance. Working between two Buckeye midfielders, Hamker managed to chip the ball upfield where it found the fleet feet of Sophia Murray. Darting toward the goal, the sophomore forward was taken down in the box. And that yielded Samantha Miller’s penalty kick.
Miller’s boot found nylon in the lower-left corner. The goal marked her second of the season and the 20th of her career. Buckeye ‘keeper Alexa Atlasy would be beat on the that PK, but she would make four saves in the second and six for the match. Only to be outdone by …
… Sabrina Rick, who in the 73rd minute, protected River’s tenuous lead with another leaping batted ball otherwise bound for a corresponding digit on the stadium scoreboard. That shot was headed top-shelf on the right side before being redirected over the crossbar. In the 66th minute, Rick had come up with an awkward
low bounder from distance. The junior netminder finished the match with 10
saves, all in the second half.
For the game, the Pirates had 14 shots (seven on goal); Buckeye came away with 15 shots (10).
And now Rick and the Pirates move further into circuit play. They’ll take on GLC foe Valley Forge in their next game – Saturday at 3 p.m. in Parma Heights, Ohio.
by Skip Snow
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