Coming into their Kent Division II district tournament semifinal game, the Lake Center Christian School girls' soccer team (10-4-5) was riding high after winning two in a row to capture a sectional championship.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they met an equally focused and talented group of Tigers from Chagrin Falls, a team that entered the game with only one loss on the season. The end result was a 2-0 defeat for LCCS to conclude a largely successful campaign.
Despite being in only their third year as a program, LCCS battled Chagrin Falls all evening long and trailed only 1-0 at halftime. Senior goalie Annie Diller did her best to keep her team in the game, making 12 saves to turn away Chagrin Falls again and again. Chagrin Falls had a 15-4 edge in shots on goal for the game and a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks, but coach Matt Rogers' squad battled for every loose ball and scrapped from start to finish.
"If I can say one thing to describe the game it would be that the will of this team was apparent all game," Rogers said. "They never quit went strong for 80 minutes."
In the second half, LCCS was unable to generate enough pressure to get back into the game and Chagrin Falls finally put themselves comfortably ahead with their second goal near the midway point of the half. It was a disappointing end to the season for LCCS, but Rogers has no doubt that this season is the start of great things for the program.
"Are we going to have holes to fill next year? Yes," Rogers admitted. "Do I think that the girls coming back will fill those holes? No doubt in my mind. We have a young team with one freshman, four sophomores and three juniors who started this year all returning and a new batch of girls coming up next year, we will be ready to compete yet again."
LCCS boys' soccer
The Lake Center Christian School boys' soccer team may have played only two games in the sectional tournament, but the Tigers certainly crammed as much soccer as possible into their postseason before exiting in a 3-2 overtime loss to Garrettsvile on Oct. 24. The game was tied 1-1 at the half, with LCCS getting on the board with a goal by leading scorer Brock Justice to tie the game. It was the 27th goal of the season for the junior forward. In the second half, midfielder Eros Caso scored on a direct free kick from about 20 yards out.
"Eros took a great free kick and put a great shot on goal in the upper left corner to beat the Garrettsville goalie," LCCS coach Eric Schroll said. Caso's goal staked his team to a 2-1 lead.
After the goal, the G-Men stepped up their pressure offensively and were able to tie the game on a goal with seven minutes to go.
The Tigers were at a disadvantage defensively, as they were playing with their third starting goalie in as many games. After freshman keeper Danny Raines, who started most of the regular season, was injured in the team's final regular-season game, sophomore Luke West stepped in to start the team's first tournament game against Canton Central Catholic. West was injured in practice prior to the second tournament game, leaving Chris Dutcher to fill in at goalie despite not having played the position at all during the season.
Coupled with senior forward Darius Scott playing at less than 100 percent because of the flu, the lack of experience at goalie ultimately cost the Tigers as the G-Men were able to punch in the winning goal in the first overtime.
For LCCS, the season ends at 9-9, one win short of a second consecutive sectional championship. Still, Schroll was pleased with the season his team put together.
"I'm really proud of the guys. We did not have an abundance of players, so every one had to play hard, all game, every game. That is a lot to ask of them," he observed. "The team progressed so well during the season. The second half of the season was so much better than the first half. They learned their roles, trusted one another to make plays, and bought into the strategy we established. They accomplished a lot."
NOTES: Juniors Brock Justice and T.J. Kline made first-team All-Stark County; seniors Charles McMullen and Darius Scott 2nd-team All-Stark County; and juniors Kaleb Esber and Eros Caso honorable mention All-Stark County. Justice also made first team all-district.
