ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 12, 2022) -- The Pirates closed out Great Lakes Conference West Division play in style, netting a season-high nine goals in a victory over Fairview which clinched the West title for the Maroon & White.
Rocky River scored seven goals in the first 20 minutes of an eventual 9-0 rout over the Warriors. And nines were wild for the ninth-ranked (Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association DI) Pirates: the win marked the team's ninth in a row; the shutout marked River's ninth this season.
The cruise-control win sends Rocky River (13-1-1, 5-0 GLC West) into the league's title match, which will pit the Pirates against the East-champion Lakewood Rangers. That game will be played Monday at Rocky River Stadium (kickoff 7 p.m.).
In Wednesday's white-wash on Detroit Rd., Sophia Sindelar registered two goals and two assists. Ava Patti also figured in four net-finders: she had a goal and three assists. Maeve Kelly (two goals), Cara McKenna, Grace DeWitt, Rory Vesy, and Mackenzie also scored for River.
Sindelar has now scored a goal in six consecutive matches. Her second goal Wednesday marked the 40th goal of her career. With 26 goals and seven assists this season, Sindelar now has 59 points. Only seven players have recorded 60-point seasons in Pirate history.
The sophomore standout and her teammates are looking to keep hitting on the number 9. A win Monday would mark Rocky River's ninth conference title.
CANNON FIRE ...
FINE FIRSTS: Grace DeWitt's goal -- a 20th minute job on an Olivia Byall assist -- marked the first of her career. Rory Vesy logged her first twine-finder as well when she one-touched a feed from Cara McKenna in the 19th minute. That goal came just 20 seconds after Katie Nupp set up McKenna for a 25-yard goal. The assist marked Nupp's first career point.
LOOSE CHANGE: River's nine-game win streak in the sixth-longest in program history. Over the last three seasons (2020-22), the Pirates have had four win streaks of seven games or more. ... The Maroon & White need one more shutout to join seven other Rocky River squads that have filed double-digit bagel totals. The Pirates had a program-record 15 shutouts in 2020. ... The Double-R is 7-0-1 at home this season. Since its last home loss (Sept. 22, 2021 vs. Bay), River is 11-0-1 on home turf. ... For the season, the Pirates have tallied 4.40 goals per game while yielding 0.73. The 4.40 GPG is the program's would-be third-best for a season.
IN THE HOLE: Rocky River is the No. 3 seed in the upcoming
DI Elyria 2 District Tournament. The Pirates will host the winner of Berea-Parma on Oct. 20 (6 p.m.).