ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (May 20, 2024) -- Rocky River overcame a sluggish start and eventually powered its way through dominating second and third periods, as the Pirates opened Buckeye State postseason play with a 17-5 triumph over Westlake Monday.
The Pirates (17-2) -- champions of the Northern Ohio Lacrosse League, the third-ranked team in the state (
LaxNumbers), and seeded No. 1 in the Region 5 bracket as part of the 68-team DII state championship tournament -- misfired on several early possessions, and a patient No. 12 Westlake (9-11) squad took advantage, building a 2-1 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But Rocky River's top offensive players got on track in the second. The home side would outscore the Demons 5-0 over the first nine minutes of the second stanza, and the Double-R went on to outscore WHS 13-3 over the middle quarters and eventually work its way to a running-clock finish in the second-round Region 5 battle at Rocky River Stadium.
The Maroon & White core scoring talent -- the law firm of Byrne, DeWitt, Mocho & Tisler -- led the charge across those second and third quarters. That foursome would combine to score 19 points in a game that saw the Pirates net 23 points total (17 goals, six assists). River led the game 6-4 at halftime and 14-5 heading into the fourth.
For the game, the Pirates outshot the Demons 28-7, and River was a plus-10 in turnovers (10-20). The contest on a warm, humid evening was a whistle-pocked affair. At times, it had all the live-action flow of a 19-car pile-up on Clague Road. The box score included a combined 75 fouls. River went 3-of-3 with a man-advantage; Westlake went 1-of-3. A combined nine goals were of the free-position variety.
Top performances were registered by Grace DeWitt (3G, 2A, two ground balls, four draw controls), Elle Mocho (5G, 1A), Mackenzie Russell (3G, 2 GB, 6 DC), and Alexis Tisler (3G, 2A, 2 GB). Tisler's first assist of the night came on a mid-second-period Kaitlyn Byrne goal and it set a new River single-season mark for helpers at 31 (passing Ella Nejad's 30A in 2022).
Mocho's fifth and final goal marked her 40th of the season and the 60th of the sophomore attacker's career. With her trio of twine-finders, Grace DeWitt has now ledgered multiple goals in seven consecutive games.
Lucy Rocco scored two goals for Westlake.
Rocky River now moves on to a Thursday quarterfinal in the
Region 5 bracket. On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Pirates will host the No. 8 Copley Indians.
by Skip Snow
# # # Pirates # # #