First-half goal carries Pirates to GLC victory

Maya Patti had a handful of chances to punish rival Bay. But she’ll just have to settle for having scored the only goal of the night.

The sophomore forward received a pinpoint pass from Allison

Contenza as she found the back of the net in the 26th minute to help host Rocky River defeat Bay in an early season Great Lakes Conference rivalry game on Aug. 29.

The eventual game-winner was a total team effort.

With the defense collapsing on Bay in the 26th minute, senior Anne O’Toole snatched the ball away at midfield. She then quickly found Contenza around the 40-yard line. The senior sent a dazzling pass to a sprinting Patti near the 25-yard line.

The sophomore then wowed the crowd with a veer to the left of Bay Goalkeeper Maeve Johnston, setting up a simple kick to the right side of the net for the score.

“I trust her (Allison) a lot to play it to me, and I knew that as long as she got the ball that we would score,” Patti said.

“I just ran on to it and scored.”

Contenza was happy to dish out the only assist of the night.

“It was really intense because I was taking it up and then the split opened between the center defenders and I tried to just split it to her,” Contenza said. “Maya made a great run onto it and did the hard work and finished it.”

The steal at midfield from O’Toole that did not go unnoticed by her coach.

“I immediately pointed it out to her. She took defense to offense at the center of the field and took possession quickly,” Pirates coach Patrick Hopkins said. “We were then able to find and connect a few passes to create

that opportunity.”

The Pirates (2-1, 1-0 GLC) had a handful of chances on offense, including three close-call shots on goal from Patti.

While the offense was coming up short, the defense was stellar throughout the night as it held the Rockets (1-1-1 0-1 GLC) to two shots on goal.

Bay coach Beth English was pleased with the Rockets’ effort, but said the offense needed to show more.

“Our girls played well,” English said. “We moved the ball around very well, but we just couldn’t take shots.”

Bay’s Johnston tallied five saves on the night while Rocky River’s Gabrielle Avila notched a pair.

The Rockets are in a bit of an adjustment period as they tout 10 seniors, but also four freshman as well as a new coaching staff.

“It’s a new coaching staff, new style of play, so yeah, we’re changing a lot of it. It’s taken the girls awhile to adjust to it,” English said. “They’re doing a really great job moving the ball around well, but now we just have to finish.”

Hopkins lauded the Pirates’ defense for stifling the normally potent Rockets.

“Elizabeth Hamker did a phenomenal job in the back, clearing up the defense, and Allison Contenza as well,” Hopkins said. “We even got Sam Miller back on a limited basis, so it was an exciting game to be a part of.”

As for Patti, the exciting goal is just a sign of things to come as Rocky River expects big things out of the sensational sophomore.

“I expect to obviously score more goals,” Patti said. “I feel like everyone

expects me to score a lot of the goals. I want to exceed everyone’s expectations.”

Despite being the aggressor on offense, Rocky River was clinging to a 1-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the match.

“It’s hard, because at the end of a high school game, no matter what it is, these girls having been working extremely hard for a full 80 minutes and everyone is exhausted,” Hopkins said. “Everyone is tired and the team that is losing tends to throw more people up top, and that’s what Bay was going to have to do. That also creates more pressure on defense and leaves them vulnerable in the back.”

The Rockets’ pressure offense went into Rocky River’s side of the field a few times in the final minutes, but failed to muster an equalizer.