BELLVILLE, Ohio (Sept. 19) -- Rocky River registered a big non-conference road win over Bellville Clear Fork Monday. After battling the host Colts to a scoreless 40-minute opening frame, the Pirates planted three scores to Clear Fork's one in the second. By the final ticks of the clock in the second half, the River Raiders had logged a 3-1 win, dealing the Colts just their second loss of the season.

Maeve Kelly scored her third and fourth goals of the season and was part of a Rocky River effort that yielded much control of the orb throughout. Rocky River first goal came in the seventh minute of the second stanza when Sophia Sindelar leveraged some nifty in-the-box ballhandling by Ava Patti and Annika Mocho. Sindelar lofted a perfectly-placed 21-yard wedge over the leaping Colt 'keeper and into the upper left 90 for her team-leading 20th goal of the season.

Ten minutes later the Pirates (9-1-1) doubled their lead when a well-placed Mocho cross found Sindelar who had a 25-yarder blocked. The loose change was swept up on the left flank by Kelly, who carved a 22-yard whistler under the cross bar.

No. 13 (Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association, DII) Clear Fork (6-2-2) got one back when Lilly Wortman connected on a sharp-angle shot inside the post in the 71st minute.

Rocky River's insurance goal came in the 77th minute when a Sindelar effort was initially blocked by the Colts goalkeeper and then cleaned up by Kelly.
 
For the match, the Pirates outshot their hosts 26-12. River put 15 shots on frame to the Colts' nine and had six corners to Clear Fork's one.

Caitlin Rose made eight saves for the Pirates. She logged the same number in a 1-0 shutout over the Colts last season (Oct. 14 at Rocky River Stadium), so Clear Fork is a combined 1-for-17 against the now-sophomore 'keeper.

Rocky River is slated to play a Great Lakes Conference West Division road game at Bay Wednesday.


by Skip Snow

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