ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (May 31, 2024) -- Friday night's Region 5 title game against the Bay Rockets marked the end of the line for the 2024 Rocky River Pirates. River was held scoreless for a stretch of 33 minutes-and-33 seconds, a period spanning both middle quarters and parts of the first and fourth, and the visiting Rockets pulled off a 7-5 conquest in a match-up between the region's top two seeds. The Pirates (19-3) and Rockets (17-4) split eight goals in a wild opening stanza that saw six ties and lead changes. But No. 2 Bay broke free from the tangled scoreboard digits with goals by Layla Meaux (4:55 of the second quarter) and Riley LaVogue (3:54 of the third). Both of those Rocket goals came after long scoring droughts for both sides, periods highlighted by physical, spirited play up and down the field.
That play, especially on the Bay side with BHS players living up to their mascot's namesake, was fast and explosive. The Rockets were adept at making athletic field plays, both in transition and in sets at both ends, at top-end speed. They had answers for No. 1 Rocky River at both ends. And those answers included the pool skimmer of goalkeeper Ellie Bennett.
Bennett registered eight saves on 13 Pirate shots on frame, and more-than-a-few of those saves were of the grade-A variety. The senior captain clocked three saves in both the second and third periods when the Pirates were held scoreless. All three saves in the third were 10-bell efforts, and so was Bennett's final stop of the night when she turned aside a Grace Dewitt shot with 3:20 remaining in the game.
Rocky River's limited offense came in a five-way split, with DeWitt, Reagan Connelly, Daisy Thompson, Elle Mocho, and Alexis Tisler providing the Pirate scores. Tisler filed career point No. 200 -- and her 19th of an eventual 20 points in these playoffs -- on Thompson's goal.
Tisler would likely trade all 200 of those points for three more River goals on Friday. And her fellow seniors (Kaitlyn Byrne, Connelly, Mia Hildebrand, Ella Hopkins, Acadia Hover, Mackenzie Russell, Thompson, Audrey White) would surely trade their previous 19 victories this season for one over their rivals on what was a sensational-weather, electric-atmosphere evening at the Lacrosse Grounds on Detroit Road. That senior class has engaged in a sure-to-be-long-remembered two-year tussle with its neighbors to the west.
Over the last two springs, Rocky River swept two hard-fought regular-season games from Bay. The Rockets swept two Region 5 finals from the Pirates. Three of those four games were decided by two goals or less.
That River Class of 2024 went a combined 53-10 (.841) over the least three seasons.
Rremarkable stuff from nine impactful seniors and, in 2024, from a talented all-round team. A team that should hang its collective head not one fraction of an inch upon having its season halted Friday.
CANNON FIRE ...
FROM THE BUCS SCORE: Rocky River ledgered 13 shots on goal on 20 attempts. Bay had 15 shots and 12 on goal. River went 0-for-3 on three advantage opportunities. The Pirates won 10-of-16 draws. Ground balls were a 50-50 split (20 each); the Double-R was a plus-1 in turnover margin (15-16). ... Gracie Fitchpatrick (four goals), Ella Boehringer (one goal, two assists, four ground balls), and Meredith Weiden (6 GB, three caused turnovers) highlighted the Bay side of the box score. .... DeWitt filed 5 GB and 5 CT. She finished her fine junior season with 57G, 12A, 44 GB, and 33 CT. DeWitt and senior Mackenzie Russell are the program's current career record holders for caused turnovers, with 88. ... The 2024 spring marks the seventh championship season of girls lacrosse sanctioned by the OHSAA. Rocky River has played in six region finals in those seven seasons. The Pirates have gone 3-3 in those games; they won region crowns in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
FINAL FOUR: Bay advances to a Buckeye State DII final four to be held June 4-7 with games in Dayton (Region 7 vs. Region 8), Medina (R5 vs. R6), and Columbus (state title game). The four remaining teams of the 68 that started the playoffs are Bay, Cincinnati Indian Hill (R8 champ), Columbus St. Francis (R7 champ), and Hathaway Brown (R6 champ).
by Skip Snow
# # # Pirates # # #
← BACK
Print This Article
