BRUNSWICK, Ohio (Oct. 23, 2023) -- A terrific fall campaign came to a close Saturday, as the Pirates were defeated by Revere 2-0 in the title game of the Northeast 5 District bracket as part of the DII Buckeye State tournament.
Senior Dylan Halm score both goals for a Minutemen squad ranked No. 1 in the state (Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association DII State Poll). Revere (17-0-2) scored a goal each half (39th, 59th minutes) in a taut, hard-fought match at Brunswick Auto Mart Stadium. The Minutemen now move on to face Maumee in a Region 6 semifinal to be played Wednesday in Sandusky.
A Rocky River team that upped its scoring from 1.70 goals per game last year to 2.57 GPG this autumn was held scoreless for the first time all season. For the Pirates, whose season highlights included a seven-game win streak from Sept. 16-Oct. 2 and a Great Lakes Conference West Division title, the loss marked just the team's second since Sept. 9. That stretch began with a victory over current No. 11-ranked Lexington (1-0 on Sept. 16).
On the whole, the Pirates (16-4) yielded just 0.76 goals per contest, their best figure since 2018 (0.65). They filed 11 shutouts along the way; that's tied for the second-most in program history. The team's 16 wins are a new school record. The three playoff wins marked the program's most since 2009. And three of River's four losses this season came against teams that ended the season ranked in the top-12 in Ohio.
For a program that's already had much success -- one that now bids farewell to seniors Lucas Budge, Julian Bussoletti, Patrick Connelly, Zach Kern, Giovanni Lizzini, and Christopher Saade -- that's a lot of "mosts". This 2023 season certainly ended with a most exciting finishing fortnight. And color coach Kevin Zerbey as being most impressed.
"We should all be proud of this bunch," said Zerbey, who helmed the program to a district final for the 12th time (his ninth). "They were hard-working, coachable, and fun to be around. They epitomized what we want this program to be. And the journey from August-to-today went by in a blink, but the relationships and bonds we formed will endure."
by Skip Snow
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