Boys soccer: Westlake’s ‘D’ the difference as Demons down Brecksville in battle of Southwestern Conference unbeatens
Bob Daniels | The Chronicle-Telegram
WESTLAKE — With a goal in the 45th minute of a scoreless match, Westlake took a giant step toward the Southwestern Conference boys soccer championship Wednesday night.
In a battle of SWC unbeatens, Demons forward Matt Hritz fired a shot into the right side of the Brecksville net and it held up for a 1-0 Westlake win at Read Field.
It was the third goal of the season for Hritz, a sophomore.
It was also the seventh shutout of the season for Demons goalkeeper Tim Hipskind. Working with a typically strong defense, Hipskind’s effort helped extract Westlake (8-1-1, 4-0 SWC) from a first-place tie with the Bees. Brecksville fell to 6-2-1, 3-1 in the conference.
The Demons, with Hipskind in goal and defenders Lee Grossman, Stephen James, Vince Stellato and Tim Andrews in front of him, have allowed just five goals all season. Like Hritz, James and Andrews are sophomores.
The match drew a big crowd. It became the kind of evenly matched game fans expected. Even the statistics were close. Brecksville got off only 10 shots, Westlake just 12. Both put seven shots on goal. Goal kicks and corner kicks — measures of a team’s assertiveness — were equal. Hipskind made eight saves, Bees keeper Karol Boryka, nine.
So it went until the 45th minute, when Hritz found himself just left of the Bees’ net with the ball on his foot.
“Tony (Stellato) was dribbling down with the ball,” Hritz said. “You know, he did most of the work on that goal. He set the whole thing up. He dished it off to me at the perfect time, and I made sure I had to finish it. I have only three goals this season, but, hey, I’m glad I scored this one.
“This was a big game,” he said. “We had to win this one, because this was the biggest one for the conference. So we’re all really happy and the coach is happy.”
He was, indeed.
“It could have gone either way,” said Westlake coach Mike Besu. “(Brecksville has) a great team. They’re one of the best teams in the state, just like us. It’s a joy to see high school soccer when two powerhouse teams, with the traditions they have, meet in a match like this.
“I can’t be any prouder of our kids. I thought it was a great game for both teams. I can’t say how proud I am of my kids. We have a chance to win the conference, but it’s far from over.”
The victory was a tribute to the Demons’ defense, which is characteristically strong.
“They played outstanding,” Besu said. “They’ve only allowed five goals all year. But the young kids came ready to play, they all did. They were hustling. It all starts with our defense. The defense is going to carry us. We have to score goals, but so far, we’ve been keeping the other teams away from our goal.”
Westlake has three SWC games left: Amherst at home and Midpark and Olmsted Falls on the road.
Westlake 1, Brecksville 0
GOAL: (W) Matt Hritz (45th minute).
ASSIST: (W) Anthony Stellato.
SHOTS: Brecksville 10, Westlake 12.
SHOTS ON GOAL: Brecksville 7, Westlake 7.
SAVES: (B) Karol Boryka 9; (W) Tim Hipskind 8.
CORNER KICKS: Brecksville 2, Westlake 2.
GOAL KICKS: Brecksville 4, Westlake 4.
OFFSIDE: Westlake 1.
HAND BALLS: Brecksville 1, Westlake 1.
FOULS: Brecksville 7, Westlake 11.
CARDS: None.
HALFTIME: No score.
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Filed by Bob Daniels | The Chronicle-Telegram September 18th, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 3% |
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