NORTH CANTON, Ohio (May 3, 2024) -- The Pirates sailed on a swell of late-first-quarter momentum and rode that wave to a hard-fought 15-10 triumph at North Canton Hoover Friday.
Rocky River (13-2) -- the DII No. 5-ranked team in the state (
LaxNumbers) -- got a combined seven goals from seniors Kaitlyn Byrne and Mackenzie Russell and was a plus-8 in turnovers, as the Pirates bounced back from a Tuesday setback at Hudson. Byrne scored three of her four goals for the game as part of a 7-0 run that bridged the last seven minutes of the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second.
DI No. 13 Hoover had been up 2-0 before that River surge. The closest the Vikings would get the rest of the way is within three, and even then -- early in the fourth when Hoover closed the gap to 10-7 -- the Buccaneers battled back with a Russell netfinder 68 seconds later.
For the game, Rocky River outshot Hoover 27-23. Turnovers were a 12-for-20 exchange, and the Vikings took 17-of-29 draws.
The Pirates' box-score standouts were Byrne (four goals, two assists, two ground balls, two caused turnovers), Russell (3G, 1A, 6 GB, 3 CT), Reagan Connelly (2G, 1A), Elle Mocho (3G), Alexis Tisler (1G, 3A), and Kylie Spies (5 GB, 4 CT).
Tisler's goal -- assisted by sister Addie Tisler at 7:50 of the fourth -- marked the 100th of her career.
Senior Madi Varveras logged 2G, 1A, and six draw controls for Hoover (11-2) which had won its previous five games.
Rocky River's next game will be Wednesday at home against Magnificat (7 p.m.).
by Skip Snow
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