North, Mentor contest scoreless dogfight

Mentor and North delivered the perennial dogfight expected from the sides’ regular-season showdown, ending in a 0-0 draw Sept. 14.

The Cardinals (3-4-2) and Rangers (6-2-2) created chances and showed offensive-third danger. But that was canceled out by sturdy work in the back as the sides recorded their third scoreless draw this decade.

“(North is) a tough team — physical, they match up in the back and they play very simple,” Mentor coach Michael Sesar said. “We had a couple of gifts in the first half we should have taken advantage of. And if you don’t put them away, you keep a team like that in the game.

“The biggest thing, I was just concerned with something at the end, some silly deflection or something. Overall, defense did a good job.”

Max Patrick nearly opened North’s account in the 29th minute with some tricky work on the end line, but his tight-angle strike was saved by Cardinals goalkeeper Connor Larrick.

North goalkeeper Mate Dedic did well to turn away a Jake Mlakar strike in the 37th to keep the match level.

The Cardinals’ Jake Sterio nearly delivered a matchwinner in the 77th minute, dribbling his way into space on the right side of the box. But the senior’s right-footed effort was cleared nicely off the line at the right post by North’s Devin Hope.

Both sides’ defensivethird work, anchored at center back by North’s Dillon Cendol and Mentor’s Michael Futchi, was sturdy for a clean sheet. It is the fifth for the Rangers in 2019 and fourth for the Cardinals.

“We’re usually teams that both get byes in the first round, so it was kind of a preview of maybe the (district) semi or the final,” Patrick said. “And they’re a very good team, so I’m happy to get the draw.

“We were playing quick (in the opening 40), finding Nick Iannetta out of the back coming out of the side. (Leading scorer Kaden Kocin), everyone — we all play quick touches. It was good.”

Coming soon

For more from this match, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.