The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Demons win Dover Cup
Westlake takes physical contest from Rockets
After coming close the past couple of seasons, Westlake finally took down Bay, and they did it in their first game of the season.
The host Demons (1-0) toppled the regional powerhouse Rockets (0-1), 3-1, in what proved to be a very physical and demanding nonconference matchup to open the season at Reed Field in Westlake on Aug. 18.
With the win, the Demons hoist the coveted Dover Cup for the first time in three years and receive a shot of confidence to start their 2017 campaign.
“I have been here for 30 years … it’s Bay vs Westlake. This thing goes to the wire every year. It doesn’t matter how good they are or how good we are. It’s a battle. I thought both teams played their soccer, but I know both teams will improve. It was a good first win for us,” Westlake coach Mike Besu said.
Playing in front of a raucous crowd split down the middle, the Demons established early on that they would not be intimidated by Bay’s prestige. The physicality was noticed in the opening minutes as both teams found themselves on the receiving end of hard tackles and collisions.
Rockets coach Bobby Dougherty felt the playoff-like intensity is no surprise when these two teams get together.
“No, it’s what you’d expect. No love lost and we have
played against each other since we were 4 years old. In the end it’s just a good hard physical game. There was nothing stupid, nothing late and nothing over the top,” Dougherty said.
The Demons offense applied pressure throughout the evening, but broke through in the 19th minute when senior Ali Al Khatib came away with a loose ball and sent it straight into the cross bar, but was gifted with a friendly bounce as it went behind the line and into the net.
Besu felt his team was aggressive early on.
“We were knocking on the door in the first couple minutes and we had a couple chances that barely missed, but on that one I think Ali was just at the right place at the right time,” Besu said.
The Rockets’ normally potent offense sputtered throughout the first half, with minimal shot attempts, despite Westlake’s relaxed defensive approach at times.
The Demons took their chances but settled for a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Westlake continued its attack into the second half as Ryan Rebholz fed a liner to a backward-falling Donovan Dubois. The offkilter position didn’t stop the senior from kicking it straight into the back of the net.
“I saw it coming, turned and saw the pocket open and I just finished it,” Dubois said.
The goal upped the Demons lead to 2-0. But the match was far from over.
As time ticked away, it appeared that Bay was just going to come up short on this night, but the offense could not be completely silenced as junior Cade Gergye gave the Rockets new life with a beautiful header on a corner kick from Nolan Sooy.
Bay’s large traveling crowd erupted as the 72nd minute header changed the complexion of the game in a hurry.
Besu felt his team took their pedal off the gas in the latter stages of the game.
“I thought after we scored the second goal, I don’t know if we got a little bit tired or what, but we started to relax a little bit. But at the same time I will give them (Bay) credit because they pushed being down 2-0, they knew they had to get back in the game,” Besu said.
With only eight minutes to play, the drama was taken out of the stadium as Westlake’s Cory Dubois took a rough shot inside the box, causing a penalty kick to ensue.
Dubois buried it, giving the Demons a 3-1 cushion that would prove to be enough.
In a game that featured minimal shot attempts, Westlake’s Levi Swisher anchored the net, nabbing five saves, while Bay’s Brent Hull came away with four saves.
Dougherty knows the season has just begun but expects his boys to grow from a loss like this.
“Seeing a group that hasn’t had their hands on the cup in a few years now, so it’s their first time to get a hold of it,” Dougherty said.
“They have about 14 seniors in their group, we have 14. Both groups wanted it and it’s one of those things where it’s a great battle to start the season off. It’s a good measur-