Eagles cruise to 7-0 girls soccer victory over Berea-Midpark

This was a game that the Avon Eagles needed. Badly.

After facing a murderer’s row to open the season—Avon’s first seven opponents had a combined record of 34-9-5 and included last year’s Division II state champion (Whitehouse Anthony Wayne) and runner-up (Hudson), last year’s Division III state champion (Bay) and five-time Division I state champion Strongsville—the Eagles needed a breather.

That’s exactly what they got Wednesday as they rolled past host Berea-Midpark, 7-0, in Southwestern Conference play. Avon is now 5-2-1 overall and 2-0 in SWC action.

Coach Attila Csiszar carries 29 players on the varsity squad—some of whom split time between varsity and junior varsity—and with the challenging schedule, it’s been difficult for him to find playing time for all of them.

When asked if the runaway victory was something Avon needed, Csiszar didn’t hesitate to respond. “Absolutely,” he said. “With the schedule that we have, it’s been so tough. We don’t get to play all the players that have made the varsity squad, and today was a day we got to get everybody in. So, it was nice.”

It also was a badly needed game for junior forward Sydney Thomas, who had been frustrated thus far this season by her lack of scoring. Despite playing for only about half of the game, the Ohio State commit scored two goals and assisted on another.

“She’s a special player,” Csiszar said. “We know what she can do. But sometimes I think players put pressure on themselves to be so successful. She’s a player who can take over a game within minutes, and that’s what she did today. She came out ready to play.”

After freshman Delaney Moyer opened the scoring less than six minutes into the match with a left-footed laser shot from about 35 yards out that went into the upper third of the goal, Thomas chimed in about three minutes later with a run up the left side in which she beat several defenders and then blasted the ball into the goal.

Less than three minutes later, she was at it again, dribbling the ball along the end line before passing it to freshman Matilda Veverka, who re-directed the ball into the goal, giving Thomas six goals and five assists on the season. Moyer added a second goal late in the first half—she leads the team with seven—and Ella Graham and Sienna Stuckart also scored for Avon.

Actually, on paper, it appeared the matchup with Berea-Midpark could have been another top-level contest. The Titans entered the match with a record of 5-1-1 and 2-0. However, the competition faced by Berea-Midpark doesn’t compare to the state-level schedule played by the Eagles.

“It’s all the teams that we play against,” Csiszar said. “It creates the environment where we know we can’t have a bad day. We’ve got to come in every single day and play our hearts out. So, I think our schedule benefits us.”

The difficult schedule continues Saturday when Avon travels to Columbus to face 6-2-1 Gahanna Lincoln.