The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cobras 19-and-under side claims NPL national crown
Any trip to Colorado wouldn't be complete without some semblance of a Rocky Mountain high, given the gorgeous scenery in that part of the world.
The Cleveland Cobras 19-and-under girls side reached their peak out there in that regard in impressive fashion, taking back some gorgeous hardware for its toil.
The Cobras claimed the national title in their age division earlier this month at the National Premier Leagues tournament held in Commerce City, Colo., with an unbeaten run through state and national play. The NPL is administered by U.S. Club Soccer.
The side, guided on the touchline by longtime Mayfield boys coach Sean McNamara, is abundant with News-Herald coverage area talent. Of its 17 players, 13 are current or recently graduated standouts for their News-Herald coverage area high school sides: Mayfield's Ella Barth, Fran Longano and Brynlee Stoll, NDCL's Frankie Dobbert, Frankie Forte, Erica Leinweber and Ellie Znidarsic, West Geauga's Nicola Ehrbar, Rae Ehrbar, Aubrey Zanella and Bailey Zanella, Chagrin Falls' Aerin Krebs and Kenston's Sophia Mighton.
It marks the first national crown for the Cobras
since their 17-and-under squad earned top honors in 2017.
“Longevity,” McNamara said of the key to the side's cohesion and success. “I think six or seven of them have been with the club for 10 years, and playing together all that time shows a lot of dedication and loyalty to the program. But when you get a group that are consolidated like that and play week in and week out — it's the third time going to nationals. That in and of itself is a remarkable achievement. It wasn't a case of third time looking, because by god they deserved to win.
“Longevity, cohesion and work ethic. We weren't necessarily the best team at nationals, but we were the team that played together, and individuals had moments of greatness at crucial junctures in the game that enabled us to come through.”
The Cobras went 8-0 in NPL Super League play, then won the state tournament with 2-0 wins over Cincinnati Elite and Sporting Columbus to book a spot in the national event in Colorado.
They hammered through group play at 3-0, outscoring their foes, 16-0. The closest result was a 1-0 victory over Kansas side Sporting BV, in which Leinweber, a longtime standout striker for her NDCL side, netted the match-winner.
In six matches between state and national competition, the Cobras recorded five clean sheets and didn't concede a goal until the national final. McNamara credited the defensivethird work by the Zanella sisters, Mary Lux (Hathaway Brown) and Rae Ehrbar, with Krebs in goal.
That is an intriguing tactical departure from high school season, in which the recently graduated Bailey Zanella was typically employed as a center mid and Rae Ehrbar, who will be a senior this fall, thrives as an outside mid for West G. Rae Ehrbar was placed at left back by McNamara, who credited her as “absolutely phenomenal” in that role.
“Those four (in the back) were just stellar throughout this campaign,” McNamara said.
The final in Colorado, with Georgia side AFC Lightning on the opposite touchline, was an experience, with the Cobras losing the ever-present Lux, the side's captain, in the first five minutes of the match to a detached retina, according to McNamara.
“That really threw me off-balance, to be honest,” McNamara said.
The Cobras were locked in a tight 2-1 match for much of the duration, with goals from Nicola Ehrbar and Longano, one of The News-Herald coverage area's premier center mids in her tenure at Mayfield. McNamara shifted Forte, a longtime playmaking center mid for NDCL, from a holding mid role to the back, which helped solidify the side.
Nicola Ehrbar iced the result with a late strike for a brace and, much like her days for West G as a lethal outside or central performer in a three-striker look, was on form throughout the tournament in Colorado with eight goals in four matches.
“It wasn't until Nicola scored in the 93rd minute that I was able to say, ‘OK, we're going to do it again. I think the girls are going to make it,'” McNamara said. “And it was an incredible goal. She picked it up just inside her own half and held off two defenders. She cut inside, cut across and actually cut behind the defender and chipped it over the goalie. Technically, it was a really clean goal.”
The Cobras' form overall through another national title run was pretty spotless as well, more meaningful of course after a lost pandemic season.
“We truly thought we had a great chance at winning it (in 2020),” McNamara said. “We had been there two years on the run, and that experience alone gives you a shoo-in, I think. And the team was really strong. And we lost a couple of players, but then, other players step in and step up.
“They really deserve it. It's a real blue-collar team, to be honest.”