Boys Soccer: Elyria beats Lorain, finding groove

LORAIN — After being shut out and losing its first three matches of the season, Elyria is starting to get things rolling. The Pioneers have won two of their last three after a 5-3 win over Lorain on Saturday, and have scored 10 goals in those three matches. "We've been working hard," coach Donovan Belizaire said. "We switched some things up, and we've been connecting a lot more passes than in the first three games. The kids are playing harder, and they believe in each other and what we're trying to do." Both teams got off to a bit of a slow start Saturday, but Elyria grew into the game faster and took the lead 10 minutes in when junior Lex Brunner got onto the end of a through ball down the left side, beat two defenders and fired into the bottom corner. "We got off to a slow start today," Brunner said. "But once we found our rhythm, we really started to slot those through balls, and most of them resulted in a goal." Eight minutes after he opened the scoring, Brunner found himself behind the defense again, and the result was the same. The junior completed his hat trick two minutes later, picking up a loose ball and chipping it over the head of Lorain goalkeeper Eric Whitaker, the first of a number of long shots for Brunner, who hit the post from outside the box twice in the second half. "It was something I picked up after the third goal," Brunner said. "I got it over him, and I thought I might be able to get a few from further, so I just went for it on a few." Elyria seemed to be in control as the match headed toward halftime, but Lorain gained a foothold thanks to a goal from junior Eduardo Rodriguez Alvarado two minutes before the break. The goal changed the flow of the game significantly, as the Titans controlled much of the first part of the second half, and with just under 20 minutes to go, senior Ramon Quintero fired home from the penalty spot to make it a one-goal game. "They continued to be hungry, and we let our guard down," Belizaire said. "We got a little complacent by giving up a goal later in the first half. That Lorain team has definitely improved and played full of heart for all 80 minutes. That was a battle." The drama only lasted about five minutes, as Avery Nikolov beat four Lorain defenders in the box and finished off the run to restore Elyria's two-goal advantage. Nikolov put the Pioneers up three with a second goal two minutes later, before Donte Tinsley got one more for the Titans to make it 5-3 with 10 minutes to go. Elyria shut down things after that, not giving Lorain any sort of chance for a late comeback and sealing its second win of the season. While the Pioneers are trending in the right direction, the Titans are going the other way, having lost two in a row after going undefeated in their first three games. Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Elyria 5, Lorain 3 Goals: E — Lex Brunner (10th minute, 18th minute, 20th minute), Avery Nikolov (67th minute, 69th minute); L — Eduardo Rodriguez Alvarado (38th minute), Ramon Quintero (62nd minute PK), Donte Tinsley (70th minute) Assists: E — Christian Gibson, Anthony Velazquez, Lex Brunner Goalkeepers: E — Evan Schneider (2 saves); L — Eric Whitaker (7 saves) Shots on goal: E — 13; L — 6 Fouls: E — 4; L — 6 Corner kicks: E — 6; L — 7 Offside: E — 3; L — 0 Halftime — Elyria, 3-1