ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 16, 2023) -- An Eric Gorius goal in the 74th minute was the lone score in a windy, rainswept, all-River district tournament match at Rocky River Stadium Monday night. The Pirates defeated neighboring Lutheran West 1-0 to advance in the
Northeast 5 District bracket as part of the OHSAA DII Region Tournament in the Buckeye State playoffs.
The Gorius tally came on a doorstep scramble after a direct free kick. Save for the final five minutes and change, it made for a triumphant game-winner at the end of a hard-fought battle between two determined soccer teams and one relentless Mother Nature. Rocky River (14-3) -- the No. 4 seed in Region 6 -- now moves on to host Great Lakes Conference West Division foe and 15th-seed Elyria Catholic on Saturday (4 p.m., Rocky River Stadium).
Rocky River defended the north goal in the opening half. The wind was at the Pirates' backs, and the ball was at their feet much of time as possession time piled up. The home side misfired on several corner kicks, though and, despite much of the play residing at the south end, the Buccaneers were unable to leverage a first-half advantage.
A driving rain and a steady wind filled the air from whistle to whistle in the opening half. The rain stopped at halftime. The wind decided it needed no such rest.
The Longhorns (3-11-1) -- a team that played the Pirates tough in a 1-0 RRHS win on Sept. 23 -- were able to create more opportunities in the second stanza. River defenders blocked a few shots from some dangerous scoring areas, keeping the ball away from goalkeeper Gio Lizzini, who for the game would be credited with three saves.
Lizzini's counterpart part 12 stops; on the night, River put 13 shots on goal to Lutheran West's three.
Rocky River mobilized the only scoreboard digit of the night in the 74th minute, when a Vinny Anthony free kick send the Longhorn 'keeper sprawling just inside the left post to make a save. The ball was out of his gloves and loose to the left of the frame before it was corralled by Zach Kern and zipped across the goal mouth. Gorius was there to bang it home.
The sophomore standout's goal -- his seventh of the season -- now has Rocky River moving along in the bracket. The Pirates are 9-1 across their last 10 games; six of those wins have been shutouts.
CANNON FIRE ...
AUTUMN-WIN EMPIRE: Rocky River Boys Soccer clinched its third Great Lakes Conference title (and its 18th overall) with last week's triumph over North Olmsted. Coach Kevin Zerbey and company are shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowd of Pirate athletes sidling up to the Rocky River Athletics trophy case this call. Also winning conference titles this fall: Girls Golf, Girls Soccer, Football, and Boys Cross Country.
THE ALL-RIVER ROUND: Dating back to 2019, Rocky River has now defeated Lutheran West in six straight matches. All six have been shutouts; the last three matches have been 1-0 affairs. The Longhorns' last win against the Pirates, a 3-1 triumph, was on Aug. 27, 2016. Since 2014, RRHS is 12-1-1 vs. Lutheran West.
BRACKET HOME GAMES: The Maroon & White have now been victorious in seven consecutive playoff games at Rocky River Stadium. The Pirates' last home loss in the postseason came on Oct. 24, 2017 (2-1 shootout loss to Bay).
by Skip Snow