Mayfield girls overwhelm Padua in second half

Mayfield recorded nine shots on target and got goals from Catherine Rock, Ella Barth, Emma Buda and Natalie Ardai in a crisp attacking display after halftime to blow open a 5-0 win Aug. 31 at Padua.

The Wildcats (4-2) made virtually every aspect appear strong, particularly natural flow of attack and set pieces.

“I guess there were some things that we tried to focus on,” Mayfield coach Matt Lubin said. “It was very different in the second half. I guess the two big things for us were limiting our touches. We wanted the ball moving faster and then kind of just being the aggressor, just not getting pushed off the ball and challenging for more and making that effort — let them know that we’re here to play today.

“We really need to pick it up here, because we’re getting into the heart of the season really quick.” The Wildcats took a quick route into the heart

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of the match on this occasion.

After an Emmie Rotsky first-half strike to open a 1-0 halftime lead, Ardai won a free kick with a nice piece of workrate on the left edge of the offensive third in the 45th minute.

Rock did well to curl a right-footed free kick around the wall and near post for her second goal of the fall and a 2-0 advantage.

Mayfield scored three goals in a 7-minute, 55-second stretch late to ice the result. Barth got a touch on Ardai service in the 65th minute, and Buda slotted a lovely one-timer with her left foot in the 70th.

Ardai provided the final margin with a pacey offball run and finish off Buda service in the 73rd.

“Especially at halftime, we talked about going out to start the second half and being the aggressor,” Rock said. “We were really trying to start the half off strong, and that’s what we did. I think we really were attacking harder with open looks, and Natalie earned that free kick. That was really nice to have.

“We used the wide ball and just made shorter passes, which allowed us to get in the attacking third.”

Boys: Kenston falls to Berea-Midpark

Kenston displayed some flashes of promise in the attacking third, but lapses in set-piece defending and offball runs sealed the Bombers’ fate in a 3-0 setback to visiting Berea-Midpark on Aug. 31.

The Bombers (0-2-1) generated eight shots on target, but the Titans (1-3-1) were impressive in all facets to notch a fair result.

“Our struggle is we don’t get to the ball first, which makes it extremely difficult to have possession of the ball,” Kenston coach Trip Roney said. “Without possession of the ball, you can’t do much. And we just weren’t passing to feet today. So we spent a lot of time defending and just giving the ball away.

“It’s hard to be in a game, let alone win it, when you’re giving the ball away. That’s my No. 1 takeaway is we just have to keep possession of the ball.”

Aidan Zak had a strike go begging high over the crossbar in the fifth minute. Berea-Midpark opened its account in the 18th, when Andrew Ruggiero crossed for Dylan Scherer amid a short corner. Dade Walker contributed a farpost header in the 31st for a 2-0 lead, and Joe Matese added the final margin in the 56th off Ruggiero service.

Mayfield boys suffer injuries, loss

Mayfield hung within a goal past the hour mark, but two late strikes sent host Aurora to a 4-1 nonconference victory Aug. 31.

The Wildcats (2-2-1) were outshot, 14-3, by the Greenmen (4-1), whose pace and combination work kept Mayfield in the defensive third for large stretches.

There were occasional signs of promise from Coach Sean McNamara’s banged-up side, but not frequently enough amid a trip to Aurora, perennially one of the most taxing road trips for News-Herald coverage area squads.

“The score doesn’t really show the game itself,” McNamara said. “We gave up some very, very poor goals — no doubt about it. The second goal just should have never happened. The third goal, the goalie drops. But we missed our chances, 11 players against 11, and they were better on the day.

“It was a disappointing game, because we could have done better. The score doesn’t really reflect the way the play went.” Mo Alsodani gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute with a firstclass run and finish on the end line. It was the senior striker’s third goal of the fall.

Jimmy Miller grabbed an equalizer for the Greenmen 33 seconds later.

Coming soon

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