Eagles run unbeaten streak to 11 with victory over Olmsted Falls

Monday’s girls soccer match against visiting Olmsted Falls was a makeup from a date that was washed out by storms. It also was a chance for the Eagles to assess where they are right now, sitting at 10-2-1 after the Eagles rolled to a 4-0 victory. That's 11 in a row without a loss since an 0-2 start.

“We’re in a good spot,” said coach Attila Csiszar. “The girls are moving the ball. It’s nice. It’s great soccer to watch. It’s nice to see the movement. We finally got all 29 in, and they enjoyed the game and the level didn’t drop. So, it’s been great. So far, so good. Knock on wood.”

Csiszar has been working hard at getting Avon to play a possession game, working the ball up the field with crisp, precise passes rather than just kicking the ball down the field. In posting their fourth shutout of the season—with Mia Moore in goal in the first half and Haylee Ostrander in the second—the Eagles were dominant on the defensive end.

They also were successful in working the ball up the field from the back end through the midfield. But sometimes they struggled to complete the play in the offensive zone. Avon outshot the Bulldogs, 10-0, in the first half, but many of those shots were ineffective and didn’t really provide scoring chances.

“We’re moving the ball, but I think in the attacking third we’re still struggling trying to get in,” Csiszar said. “Sometimes we’re taking these 25-yard shots that are just trickling into the keeper. We need to figure out a better way of releasing the ball just a little quicker to throw the defense off, to shift the defenders so we can get in. But the movement off the ball is fantastic. It’s getting so much better.”

Ironically, the goal of the day came on one of those long shots. But Olivia Sabo-Alexander’s goal with just over 11 minutes left in the first half did anything but trickle into the keeper. Instead, it was a rocket shot from about 40 yards out that went into the upper corner of the goal, with Falls keeper Brooke Eisenhardt helpless to do anything about it.

“Olivia’s got a foot,” Csiszar said. “She takes all our free kicks from out wide. She has the potential to score like that every game. She can wind up and hit the ball. She’s got a strong shot, and it was nice to see that it went in. It was a great shot.”

The long goal gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead, with Delaney Moyer providing the first. The freshman received a long through pass from midfielder Sam Heun and then did the rest, putting the ball high into the nets just over 8 minutes into the match.

“Delaney’s amazing,” Csiszar said of the team’s second leading scorer with 11 goals. “She’s such a cheeky player. You know, you don’t really look at freshmen to come in and play with a very strong high school program. To do what she’s doing is just amazing. Her attitude is great. She’s coachable. She’ll work her tail off. She’s always asking what else she can do to get better. Players like that are going to go far in this game.”

In the second half it was time for Avon’s Sydney Thomas to take over, as she scored a goal on a 25-yard blast and then assisted on Moyer’s second goal of the night. On Moyer’s goal, Thomas used her exceptional speed to work her way through and around the Olmsted Falls defense, and then she powered a shot that Eisenhardt was able to deflect. But the rebound went right to Moyer, who had an easy time of cleaning it up.

“Syd’s a machine,” Csiszar said. “I’ve never seen a player where when we’re on the field, it looks like the players are standing still while she’s running. It’s just crazy the speed that she has.”

Avon has two Southwestern Conference games remaining on the schedule, Wednesday against Avon Lake and then October 7 at Elyria. In between, the Eagles host big-school power Medina, which is 7-3-1 and has won two Division I state titles.

“We’ve got some big matches coming up,” Csiszar said. “Medina will be a big match to see how we can do against them. But right now, I just think we’re playing quality soccer. The ball’s on the ground, the girls are moving the ball, and everybody’s in a good spot.”