Avon boys soccer team believes it can hang with nationally ranked St. Ignatius in second straight regional semifinal meeting

There may have been certain levels of anxiety and trepidation of the Avon sideline when the Eagles took the field to play St. Ignatius in the 2018 Division I regional semifinals. After all, they were facing a team that is consistently ranked among the top teams in the country. This year, as the Eagles prepare for tonight's regional semifinal rematch at 7 p.m. at Brunswick High School, they have a lot more offense firepower, one of the top defenses in Ohio and the confidence to believe they belong on the same field as a Wildcats team that is ranked No. 1 in Ohio and No. 2 in the United States. "The biggest thing is having the confidence we can win," Avon coach Chris Dore said. "We need to remember we're all high school soccer players. We have a lot of strengths, just like they do. We know we're not the favorite to win, but understanding we're not far away from anybody in the state of Ohio should give us the confidence for one game." Avon has an identical record to St. Ignatius, 17-0-2, and is ranked No. 8 in the state. The Eagles have excelled in all facets of the game this season scoring, 53 goals while shutting out 15 opponents. Junior goalkeeper Ryan Poling has only allowed four goals this season. So there's good reason to believe that this year's game should be much closer than last year's 4-0 Wildcats win. "This year we have more talent and we really want to win," senior forward Aidan Lacko said. "Last year we didn't come into the game with the right mindset. This year we've won against some good teams, we have great team chemistry and we play together well. So we feel like we can compete against anyone." Lacko is one of the main reasons the Eagles are still alive. It was his overtime goal, his team-leading 21st goal of the year, that secured Avon its second consecutive district title in a 1-0 district final win over Avon Lake. "From last year to this year Aidan is a new person," Dore said. "He has played a bigger role and more of a leadership role for us this year. Plus he just has a knack for scoring." Senior defender Adam Kalvitz, who along with Poling and midfielder Keegan Dawson are the only three returning starters from last year's team, thinks the Eagles' offensive prowess is possibly more important to Avon's hopes of remaining alive in the tournament than its shutdown defense. "Scoring 53 goals is one of the most impressive stats on this team," Kalvitz said. "Scoring is hard, it's really rare in soccer and we've been able to do it so often. Knowing we can score gives all of us more confidence. Soccer is a game where it's always defense first because you can't lose if you don't get scored on. What's different this year is we have the talent and skill to keep attacking and break down opposing defenses and the confidence that we're going to score." Dawson's 13 assists this season is the second-best single-season total in Eagles history. He points to team chemistry as the reason the team has been able to remain undefeated. "When I get the ball on my foot I just know where my teammates are going to be and I can get them the ball," Dawson said. "Soccer is really a team sport. All of the guys up front help defend, the guys in the back help on offense, when you have chemistry and know each other's tendencies it makes every part of the team better. "It would mean everything if we could beat St. Ignatius, seeing as they knocked us out last year. I know a lot of their guys on their team, they are great guys and they have a great team but we've improved so much since last year we're ready to go out and compete with them." While the Wildcats have a roster peppered with all-Americans and a trio of Division I recruits — Matt McLaughlin (Notre Dame), Peter Van Euwen (Ohio State) and Kyle Folds (Indiana) — what Avon hopes to bring to the field is a sense of continuity and community. "(St. Ignatius) has a tradition of winning that attracts top players from around the area to their program," Dore said. "At Avon we have the advantage of having guys who played together since they were 5 years old. We have players that have that chemistry and we have a lot of high-character guys that make us successful." Like most winning coaches, Dore gives his players credit for all of the team's success. However, if you ask Kalvitz, it might actually be Dore himself that is Avon's greatest asset. "Coach Chris has been fine tuning us since Day 1," Kalvitz said. "He knows how each one of us plays and where to put players so they can be the best they can be." When Kalvitz, a four-year varsity player, was asked if he'd have any advice for his younger teammates prior to kickoff. "Don't be too nervous," he said. "Yes, it's a big game for us, but based on the way we've been playing we just have to go out and keep doing what we've been doing." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.