Eagles dominate Solon, 6-0, to reach second consecutive Elite Eight

With a starting lineup that includes eight underclassmen, Avon’s girls soccer team has had its share of ups and downs this season. But when the Eagles are on, it can be a thing of beauty. Avon was definitely on Tuesday evening, as the Eagles notched their seventh consecutive shutout to take down Solon, 6-0, in a Division II regional semifinal at Brooklyn High School. Next up for 14-4-2 Avon, which is trying to make its second consecutive trip to the state Final Four, is Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, which defeated the Eagles, 3-0, on September 6. The rematch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Milan Edison High School with a Final Four berth on the line. Glancing at the scoreboard afterward, Avon coach Attila Csiszar said, “We didn’t expect this, but I know that these kids have it. I mean, that’s one thing we said in the beginning of the season. I’ve been here long enough with Avon to know the teams that play at a high level. This is a team that when they want to bring it, we have what it takes.” It was a dominant performance on both ends of the field. Sophomores Kaitlyn Buchino and Sydney Thomas each scored two goals, and freshmen Sienna Stuckart and Carmela Cruzado each added single tallies. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Haley Ostrander presided over a unit that hasn’t allowed a goal in more than a month, as the Eagles have outscored their opponents, 30-0, in their last seven matches. “It feels really good,” said Ostrander. “Obviously, there were times in our season that were a little bit rocky where we could have done better. But I’m glad that we’re finally putting our all out there and showing what Avon is. I think it’s just a lot of time and effort, and our team’s really blending together and learning how to put two halves together. Also, it helps a lot that we’re all best friends, off the team, too. So, when it comes to these big games, I think we just know how to show up and show out.” While the final score might indicate a blowout, Ostrander was tested all evening before ending with 11 saves. Lily Fitch relieved Ostrander for the final 7 minutes and made two saves. Three times the Comets had a ball hit the crossbar—once on a bouncing ball that Ostrander tipped over the bar—and she had a few diving saves as well. It was just the second time this season that Solon had been shut out. “It was really just mentality tonight, not getting frustrated, not arguing with the refs, even though there were some calls we didn’t like,” said Ostrander. “I was just playing my game and shutting out the student section and shutting out the parents. I just almost had to act like the field was silent and I was just focused on the ball and that’s it.” Starting defenders Olivia Sabo-Alexander, Sierra Kobak and Morgan Terrell were instrumental in constructing the shutout, as Solon had several set pieces, including seven corner kicks. But each time the Eagles were equal to the task. “Obviously, I see everything, and I’m kind of the one directing them,” said Ostrander. “So, they know that I’m yelling at them, but it’s out of love and just to protect the team.” On the other side of the ball, it's tempting to view Avon’s offense as a one-woman show, as Thomas is by far the team’s leading scorer and its most spectacular player. Her speed is unmatched, which puts a lot of pressure on the opponents’ defense. But against Solon the Eagles showed their depth, as four players scored goals and five players had assists. “Everyone shared in today’s win,” said Csiszar. “It was pretty amazing. One thing we’ve been working on all season is making sure that when we pass, we move. Move until you receive the ball. When you play someone, you try to get the ball back. And the girls did fantastic. They pressed. They worked hard.” Buchino scored the first two goals of the night, with the first coming at the midway point of the opening half and the second coming about 10 minutes later. The Eagles held a 2-0 halftime lead, which brought up some unhappy memories. During the preseason this past summer, these two teams met in a scrimmage at Solon, and Avon held a 2-0 halftime lead in a match that ended in a 2-2 tie. So, the halftime conversation focused a lot on avoiding what had happened before. “We just said we’ve got to finish the job this time,” said Csiszar. “We’d been there, and it didn’t feel good. You don’t want to feel that way again.” Thomas took care of that early in the second half, scoring her first goal just 1 minute, 13 seconds into the period. She received a long pass down the middle of the field, outran the Solon defense and put it past keeper Jordan Levenhagen, who is a Kent State commit. Less than 7 minutes later, Stuckart cleaned up a loose rebound, and the Eagles were on their way. Thomas, who had a goal disallowed on an offsides call and also narrowly missed a tally when the ball hit the right post, added her second goal with 15:38 to play when she once again outran the defense and beat Levenhagen with a low shot. Cruzado wrapped up the scoring on a breakaway goal of her own which started a running clock for the last 10:45 of the match. “This feels really good, and it sets a tone for the playoffs to see how well the team is performing,” said Ostrander.