The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Shoremen bow out to Medina
MEDINA » One of the most successful seasons in Avon Lake boys soccer history came to an end Nov. 4 in a regional semifinal.
Medina marches on and continues its postseason run with a 4-0 win over the Shoremen. The Bees advance to play Findlay in a regional final on Nov. 7.
“(Medina) is consistent,” Avon Lake coach Pete Klepek said. “When they lose the ball, the player gets it back and doesn’t stop. Simon (Spelling) has a great program over there and I’m trying to get there. They don’t stop. Relentless is a good word for that team.”
The Bees (17-1-2) were indeed relentless as they put constant pressure on Avon Lake’s (16-3-1) defense throughout the entirety of the match.
The Shoremen held the Bees scoreless until they got on the board in the 15th minute on a goal from Cole Turchyn. Medina added one more before the half to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
“They have a really strong midfield and they find their gaps and they just played right through us,” Avon Lake senior Zachary Ramsey said. “They kept us on our heels the entire game. We did well for a while and then they put one away and they just kept coming.”
Avon Lake goalie Zach Glesius turned in a valiant effort, racking up 13 saves to keep the match close.
“They just don’t stop,” Glesius said. “They have three quality players up top and they don’t stop
running. As soon as they lose the ball, they are on you. They get the ball and they run at you fast and you don’t have any time to respond.”
While the score might not show it, the Shoremen were able to keep the contest close throughout, snuffing out several Bees scoring opportunities.
“I thought we made it really compact for them,” Avon Lake senior defender Cullen Reutter said. “So we made it really hard for them to play around us. However, they are a very quality team and they don’t have a single weak point in their lineup. Once they figured out how to get the ball around us, it was really tough to stop.”
Ultimately, Medina’s persistence paid off as the Bees kept pounding away at Avon Lake’s defense. Medina racked up 15 shots on goal and added a pair of second half goals to its total from Jacob Hutz and Breck Horton to punch its ticket to the regional final.
Avon Lake was fresh off of a district final win over Brunswick to claim a district championship. Their 16-win season comes to and end and while losing is never easy, players agree that what they accomplished this season is noteworthy.
“We had a great season,” Reutter said. “We did things that not many teams in Avon Lake history have done. I think we won only the fourth district championship (in program history) and are the second or third team to get 16 wins. To make it this far as a senior is really special.”
Klepek knows his program will get better from playing a quality opponent like Medina.
“If you want to be the best, you have to play the best and there’s one of the best right there,” Klepek said.
“We wanted to compete and I think we did at times. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce our way. They do the small things right and they finish their chances. That’s the number one thing they did tonight.”