The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
BAY EMBRACES STATE SEMIFINAL CHALLENGE
Rockets feeling good, playing confident as rematch with Lake Catholic looms
When the Bay Rockets step onto the field at Nordonia on Nov. 6 for a Division II state semifinal against Lake Catholic, the confidence they’ll have will be at the highest apex this group has ever had. It isn’t arrogance. And it isn’t disrespect to the opponent.
All it means is these Rockets have stormed through the playoffs playing the style they want — a crisp possession attack — and of course, goalkeeper Maeve Johnston turning shots away.
“They are a confident group,” Bay coach Beth English said. “They are feeling good and believing in themselves. Their practice was upbeat and relaxing. They still know anything can happen, and Lake Catholic is a very good team.”
During its dominant 4-0 regional final win over Wapakoneta, Johnston didn’t have to do much as Bay allowed only four shots on goal.
But it was an important win for Bay. Leading up to the game, each of Bay’s four postseason wins were by one goal.
No one cares about winning pretty in the postseason. But it was important to show the Rockets do have a dominant gear to them.
“We’ve had people scoring goals that haven’t been scoring goals,” English said. “They were moving the ball, playing fast. So it was nice. It showed them that everyone can score and not just Kealy Sullivan.”
And they’ll need that dominance against Lake Catholic. The Cougars feature Keka Babic, who has 22 goals and six assists.
Babic’s second-half strike was the separator as Lake edged out a 2-1 win against Revere in a regional final.
Bay beat Lake Catholic Sept. 8, 3-1, but both are better now.
Lake Catholic plays a gritty style to win.
“We know they have good players and we know who to watch out for,” English said. “But still, we played early in the season and we’re both improved. It’s going to be a challenging game, and our girls know that. They are coming out for revenge, and we’ve got to be on our game.”
Bay has shown it can play gritty, too. And when push comes to shove, they won’t back down.
“I know we can do it,” Johnston said last week about winning a state title. “We are 100 percent positive we can get there. From Day 1, our goal was to win a state championship. Knowing how close we are, our motivation and eagerness is right there, and we’re excited for this opportunity.”
The Rockets were in the state semis two years and have a few holdovers on that team.
English believes they can draw back from that experience.
“They can remember that experience and they know they can help the younger ones with the jitters,” English added.
The confidence level is high and the game is big.
But English’s message to the Rockets will remain the same.
“We’re sticking with the same thing,” English said. “We’re going to go out and have fun. It’s a game of soccer. They’ve been playing it their whole lives. They need to just go out and have a good time. They have to put a smile on their face. When they smile, they play well.”