Hornets off to state for the first time

STREETSBORO » If it’s true home is where the heart is, Kirtland coach John Valentic’s heart was whole watching the postmatch scene before him Nov. 3 on the pitch at Streetsboro.

For the Hornets, it was a collective afternoon long in the making.

Two hours prior, the Kirtland girls side secured its third state final four berth in four years, seeing off Doylestown Chippewa.

And for so many years prior, Valentic’s boys sides have been so close to joining in the fun this deep in the postseason for a state breakthrough.

Nov. 3 in a Division III regional final against Campbell Memorial, it was time.

The Hornets’ boys side – finally – is at the heart of a state championship chase into November, not remotely ready to head home just yet.

Jeremy Lunka scored a pair of goals, and Kirtland – on the strength of a yeoman opening 40 in all facets – secured the first state final four berth in boys soccer in school history emphatically with a 4-0 win.

The Hornets (17-1-3) will take on Archbold, a 3-0 winner over Independence, in a D-III state semifinal at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 at Sandusky, in a doubleheader with the girls at 6 p.m. because they’re also playing Archbold.

Valentic and some great Kirtland boys sides have had to coalesce over close postseason calls – a 2016 D-III regional final loss to Kidron Central Christian in its first elite eight, tight district matches at Hawken and elsewhere.

The emotion this time, though – staring out at a sea of enthralled Kirtland boys and girls players, parents and fans – was sheer joy.

“Unique. Special. Gratifying. Dare I say deserved,” Valentic said. “It’s a great group of kids. I got a couple of emails and texts from alums – guys that I didn’t even coach before me in the ‘80s, who were saying, ‘Good luck. Go get them. Great job.’

“Now that I’m standing here,” he continued, pausing emotionally to survey the scene, “it’s starting to resonate. Because this game wasn’t as close as the last game (a 3-2 extra-time regional semifinal win over Kidron Central Christian), the emotions kind of died down. But once I start to reflect, it means a lot.”

The meaning of a dynamic opening 40 to keep the Hornets’ trajectory upward will linger in their proud community for quite a while.

Kirtland was gritty in midfield, smart with service, organized in the back and took a 2-0 lead to halftime. In the 10th minute, Josip Mijic-Barisic won a ball on the right side of his offensive third and played a touch into the box. His initial shot was turned away, but Lunka buried the rebound far post for a 1-0 lead.

Then in the 38th, affording some breathing room in the process, Lunka served a lovely, pacey through ball for Evan Dures, and the freshman took care of a left-footed strike high.

That 40 likely couldn’t have been much better.

“It would be difficult (to match),” Lunka said. “We really came out and played strong. We played well against Kidron, and that kind of boosted our confidence going into this game, because they are a very strong opponent.

“The first five minutes, we were kind of testing out their defense and midfield, seeing what they were good at and not good at. We found that playing long balls over the top and through, they were kind of susceptible to it. So we just kept that through the rest of the game.”

The Red Devils (17-4), who came into the match with 117 goals this fall from a skilled attack, couldn’t generate midfield rhythm or grab a lifeline in time.

Kyle Lutz banged home a header in the 73rd minute on an Ethan Garcia corner kick, and Lunka added the final margin in the 78th with his 24th goal of 2018.

Lutz helped anchor another outstanding performance by the Kirtland back four, as the Hornets yielded just one shot on target en route to their 14th clean sheet.

“Fantastic,” Lunka said. “We’ve been working on it all year. From the beginning, we’ve had a strong defense and we’ve held it through the rest of the year. And hopefully it’ll continue on.”

On to uncharted territory Nov. 6 in a state semifinal, a home deep in the heart of Kirtland.

“I think just our dedication, all of the hard work we put in,” Lunka said of what makes this side different. “Also, we were here before two years ago, and so we had some experience with that. I think that helped a lot for today.”