State girls soccer: Avon comes just short of finals

SHELBY — Avon knocked on the door time and time again but Bishop Watterson wouldn't let them in. The dream season ended for Avon on Tuesday after the Eagles fell to Bishop Watterson, 1-0, in a Division II state semifinal match at Shelby High School. Emma Miller scored the only goal of the night for Bishop Watterson (19-2) in the 38th minute off a Sahsa Smith assist to send her team to Saturday's state championship game, when it will face North Royalton, 2-1 overtime winners over Loveland in Tuesday's other semifinal. "We were working hard and we were pushing but sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way," Avon senior forward Skylar Kruszka said. "We did as much as we could but we just didn't have the luck we needed." Kruszka had Avon's best chance to tie the game in the 70th minute when she got her foot on a ball at the edge of the six-yard box but Watterson goalkeeper Suzie Roginski was in the right position to make one of her five saves to preserve the one-goal lead. "We changed our formation in the second half because we realized we weren't winning in the middle." Kruszka said. "We tried to keep the ball on the ground more instead of just kicking it, and that ball movement helped us." Avon ended the year with a 13-5-3 record and the first regional championship in school history. It was only the third time this season that Avon was held scoreless. "This group had the biggest heart," Avon coach Attila Csiszar said. "It was never about them or one person it was about the team, that's what made this so special. We have a lot of girls that are sad right now but they are sad for each other. They are sad because it was their last game together." Twice in the first half, senior Gianna Scott almost put Avon on the board. In the 12th minute, Scott had an open look at the goal but her shot sailed high and bounced off the football crossbar. In the 33rd minute, Scott's free kick from the near sideline sailed just over the net. "It would have been so much different if we could have scored early," Scott said. "We would have had the momentum and I feel like it could have been a different outcome because we had so many chances. We were just unlucky and we couldn't finish them." Watterson showed the form that has allowed it to win 17 of its last 18 games with its defensive tenacity and its ability to win 50-50 balls in the midfield. "They were beating us to every ball in the air," Csiszar said. "We figured it was going to be a battle. We knew they were a good team. They are well-coached and they have a strong back line." Avon made one last run in the final minute when Kruszka was brought down at the end edge of the box with no call and Watterson cleared the ball upfield as the closing seconds ticked down. "This season was so big for all us, especially for our senior class," Kruszka said. "We've been playing together for four years. Doing all of this this season for ourselves, our coaches and our school means so much to all of us." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Bishop Watterson 1, Avon 0 Goals: BW - Emma Miller (38th minute) Assists: BW - Sahsa Smith Goalkeepers: A - Sevilla Anderson (3 saves); BW - Suzie Roginski (5 saves) Shots on goal: A - 5; BW - 4 Fouls: A - 10; BW - 8 Corner kicks: A - 2; BW- 4 Offside - A - 2; BW - 4 Halftime - Bishop Watterson, 1-0