ROCKY RIVER, Ohio – For a third straight year and an eighth
time in this decade, the Rocky River Pirates are headed for a district final.The Pirates punched their 2019 ticket for the district final with a convincing 8-0 victory over Holy Name on Monday. Marvelous ball-control skills netted lengthy possessions and, most importantly, eight goals for the Pirates, who had played a similar game in defeating Padua, 7-0, in River’s first district match on Thursday. Monday’s contest was woven as an intricate, 10-man game of keep-away, allowing the visiting Green Wave just six shots and one shot on goal over the 80 minutes. The effect was a heavy field tilt, one favoring the Maroon & White on what was a balmy October evening at Rocky River Stadium
The Pirates – the No. 1 seed in the DII
Elyria District Tournament brackets – took advantage of that field tilt to the tune of scoring four goals each half and getting two goals apiece from Cara McKenna, Sophia Murray, and Maya Patti. For the match, Rocky River (12-5-1) out-shot fifth seeded Holy Name (7-10-1): 35-6 overall and 15-1 in shots on goal. River’s eight goals marked the program’s most in a postseason match since Oct. 15, 2014 (8-0 win over Brooklyn).
Appropriately enough, the eight-goal barrage began in the eighth minute when Addie Harris – bracketed by two Holy Name defenders – whirled around to attempt a shot from 17 yards. Harris’ effort was blocked, but teammate Sophia Murray was nearby. Murray raced Green Wave netminder Sabrina Eink to the loose ball and booted it into the left side of the goal from 10 yards out.
After nearly 20 more minutes of gameplay – hard-fought but one-sided minutes in River’s favor – the Pirates got a big goal on a big effort by freshman Cara McKenna. A tremendous 20-yard through ball by Maya Patti caught McKenna almost in stride but not quite. The agile McKenna was able to stutter-step briefly while corralling the ball some 15 yards in front of the Holy Name goal. A moment later she whipped the ball into the goal and the Rocky River lead was 2-0.
Holy Name didn’t get off its first shot of the match until the 35th minute. Leading the charge in Rocky River applying constant pressure were Taylor Byall and Lizzie Hamker. Both figured in River’s third goal, which came in the 38th minute. Tremendous footwork by Byall set up a shot from distance and then a subsequent effort from Hamker which drew crossbar iron. The rebound on Hamker’s cage-rattler found the alert feet of Sophia Murray on the doorstep. Murray finished the play with her second goal of the contest.
Cara McKenna would match Murray’s second with her own 16 seconds before halftime on a nifty cross by Maya Patti.
Halftime would be a welcome respite for the visiting Green Wave, who were out-shot, 17-3, in Rocky River’s 4-0 start to the contest. The rest would end; the Pirate plunder would continue.
Maya Patti scored unassisted goals in the 51st
and 53rd minutes to extend the Rocky River lead to 6-0.
The final 27 minutes were a running-clock endgame, with the Pirates substituting liberally. Rocky River got quality minutes in this stretch from Cecilia Wischmeier (who scored River’s seventh goal), Alexandra Pike (who scored the eighth) and the trio of Rayna Kishna, Mia Kelly and Vivian Brandt who diffused multiple Green Wave possessions down the stretch.
Monday’s contest ended a four-game stretch (2017-19) of one-goal games between River and Holy Name. The most recent of those taut affairs had been on Sept. 14, a 1-0 Pirate win in the regular season.
Monday’s victory was something else entirely. And now the Rocky River Pirates are bound for something familiar – a district tournament final.
CANNON FIRE …
REACQUAINTANCE WITH DEER FRIENDS: In the district final, Rocky River will take on No. 2-seed Buckeye which defeated third-seeded Bay in penalty kicks on Monday. The Pirates defeated the Bucks, 1-0, when the Great Lakes Conference foes met in the regular season (Sept. 4). The district title game will be contested Thursday evening (7 p.m.) at a neutral site to be announced. … In its 32-year history, Rocky River Girls’ Soccer has played in 11 other district finals, including seven (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018) in the last decade.
GOAL(DEN) GIRLS: With her twin first-half netfinders Monday night, sophomore Sophia Murray took the team lead in goals scored this season, only to be leapfrogged by junior Maya Patti with her two goals in the second half. When the dust settled in River’s 8-0 win, Murray had totaled 12 goals in 2019. Patti has scored 13. … Both players have been busy of late: over River’s last five games, Murray has registered seven goals and two assists; Patti has tallied five goals and four assists. … Over that same five-match stretch, Rocky River has scored 28 goals. Those 28 goals have been scored by 10 different Pirates.
OF DENTED TWINE: Rocky River has scored 67 goals this season while allowing just 15. The Pirates’ 3.7 goals per game marks a would-be season high since 2012 when the Double-R belted home 5.8 per contest in a state championship season. … Since 2010, the Maroon & White are 27-8-1 over 36 postseason games.
by Skip Snow
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