ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (March 18, 2023) -- The snow was flying, and so were goals. Until one stopped and not the other. The flurries and flakes outlasted the lefty and righty twine-finders in Rocky River's season opener against Revere, a hard-fought battle marked by impressive defensive efforts turned in during the game's stingy and wind-chilled second half. The Pirates toted a two-goal lead into halftime and were able to protect half of that advantage in a second stanza that saw lots of cold, snow, and wind but just three goals. River defeated Revere 8-7.
Four different Pirate scorers -- Elle Mocho, Grace DeWitt, Olivia Konopka, Kaitlyn Byrne -- tallied goals as the home side took a 4-1 lead by the 16:15-mark of the first half. The Minutemen rallied, scoring the game's next four goals and taking a 5-4 lead by the 9:04-mark. Bentley Huffman netted a pair of goals in that spurt and was impactful up and down the field throughout the Saturday afternoon, non-conference contest at Rocky River Stadium.
The next nine minutes-and-three seconds were a display of what the Double-R defense had in store for Revere the rest of the day. Every clear, dodge, dash, and pass was contested by a Pirate cross or two. Minutemen were stopped in their tracks -- quite literal ones in some stages of snowfall -- and the Striped Buccaneers swatted passes and spilled pellets.
Those final nine minutes-and-change bore witness to just one more Revere shot -- not on frame -- and they were filled with quite a bit of field tilt favoring efforts at the other end of the property. River found twine for a game-tying (5-5) goal (Grace DeWitt) at 8:16. The Pirates vaulted back in front, 6-5, when Mocho planted her second of the day, at 6:07.
Elle Mocho is the younger sister of senior defender Annika Mocho, and on multiple occasions Saturday, a stop on one side of the field and a goal at the other involved Mochos at both ends. A case of mucho Mocho of which the Minutemen were all too aware.
River followed Mocho's goal with one more (Daisy Thompson) before halftime. The Maroon & White led 7-5 when the two sides broke for a truncated, wind-blown halftime intermission.
The dozen first-half goals nearly stood up as the only 12 shots to get by goalkeepers Chloe Calogeras (Revere) and Acadia Hover (Rocky River) all afternoon. Because both netminders were sharp, as were the defenders fronting them, over the final 25 minutes of action.
Hover made a key stop early in the second half. Calogeras stymied four would-be goals in the second. And the middle 40 yards of the field saw three times as many interceptions, reversals, and spills, in a half dominated by defense. A scoring drought ensued, and neither side mobilized a scoreboard digit until 21 minutes had gone by.
That next goal was scored by Olivia Konopka at the 3:59 mark. But it would be answered -- with interest -- over the next 90 seconds. Bentley Huffman scored at 3:15 to end a 31-minute scoring drought for the visitors. That whittled the River lead back to two, 8-6. Huffman scored again -- her fourth of the day -- at the 2:33-mark, and the Pirate lead was cut to one.
The Pirates were able to kill the final 153 seconds, though not without several moments of peril. Junior midfielder Mackenzie Russell, who registered two assists early in the game, was instrumental in getting the Pirates to the finish line. The 2022 all-Region 5 honorable mention logged a key caused turnover at the 1:40-mark, and she evaded a half-dozen Revere sticks in an artful clear to spin away vital clock time late.
For the game, Russell was credited with two ground balls and one caused turnover. Russell and teammates Annika Mocho (5 GB, 2 CT), Daisy Thompson (2 GB, 3 CT), and Alexis Tisler (2 GB, 2 CT) helped the Pirates record a plus-9 (20 to 29) in turnover margin. The Double-R had 19 shots in the game, putting 14 on goal. Revere countered with 12 and eight.
Byrne (goal, assist), DeWitt (2G), Konopka (2G), Mocho (2G), and Russell (2A) all registered two points for Rocky River. Two, two, two, two, and two .. all in a game that was too tense. Too cold. Too windy. Too snowy. With two teams battling hard all the way. All of it worthy of a toast:
To warmer days ahead, and lots of lacrosse like this.
CANNON FIRE ...
YOUNG BUCS: The River junior varsity defeated Revere 5-4 on a horn-beating transition goal scored by sophomore Bode McDougal.
RIVER-REVERE: Annika Mocho's five ground balls marked a single-game career-high. Mocho's previous best was three; that figure was logged against these same Minutemen in an 8-4 win over RHS March 19, 2022. ... Rocky River has defeated Revere six straight times, and the Pirates lead the all-time series 10-1. Saturday's game was the first in the series decided by fewer-than-three goals.
MEET THE PIRATES: The 2023 River squad returns 13 lettermen from a team that went 18-3 and made it to a DII Buckeye State semifinal last spring. The 2023 team captains are Ava Blair, Kaitlyn Byrne, Olivia Konopka, and Daisy Thompson.
by Skip Snow
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