Boys soccer: Avon Lake makes early SWC statement with shutout win over Amherst

AVON LAKE — A major statement in the Southwestern Conference was made by Avon Lake on Wednesday in a dominant 3-0 victory over Amherst that left the Shoremen unbeaten at 6-0. Each team won its first conference match, and while the Shoremen were perfect, they were having trouble finding the net, winning each of their last three matches 1-0. But just six minutes in, a miss hit Amherst clearance fell to the feet of Avon Lake senior Luke Bellenir at the top of the box, and he put it past goalie Casey Giancaterino to put some of Avon Lake's offensive worries to rest. "I just wanted to bring it down cleanly and hit it as hard as I could," Bellenir said. "Our past couple of games have just been 1-0, scratching it out, so to get one early was big, and it set the tone for the rest of the game." Avon Lake's first goal started a bit of a trend for Amherst, which consistently had trouble getting the ball clear and was under near constant pressure from Avon Lake, especially in the first half. "This team flusters you because they recycle so much, bringing players up and bringing them back," said Amherst coach Brett Thompson. "If you're organized defensively, you can counter that, but we gave up some goals off our mistakes." It was another Amherst turnover 12 minutes after Bellenir's opener that led to Avon Lake's second goal, as Coby Ostrowski picked up an errant pass and played it across to Alex Soloff, who found the bottom corner from about 15 yards out. After the Shoremen took a 2-0 lead, the Comets steadily grew back into the game and were about to head to the break with some positives to take from the end of the first half when the Shoremen scored a back-breaking third goal. Bellenir turned provider for this one, picking up the ball on the wing and landing a cross perfectly on the head of fellow senior Lincoln Rose, who nodded it past Giancaterino to give Avon Lake insurance. "That was brutal," Thompson said. "You go in down 2-0 and you still have some confidence that you can do it. We weathered the storm and we were playing a little bit better, but they put that one in and it really changed our mentality. We had to really open things up, which opened things up for them as well." While the Shoremen were unable to tack on a fourth in the second half, they continued to dominate the game, holding possession and allowing little attacking from the Comets. "They're so composed," Avon Lake coach Pete Klepek said of his players. "We have so many talented players, so we can simplify the game. We play through each other, pass it on, and when we lose the ball, we want to get it back. That's a team." Bellenir may have been the star on the scoresheet for Avon Lake, but after the game, Klepek focused on one of his other captains, defender Drew Krupitzer, who was the driving force behind Avon Lake's control of the match. "We've got four shutouts in six games, and he's one of the big reasons why," Klepek said. "He's my only four-year starter, and I've got a pretty good team, so you can tell how good he is." With players like Krupitzer and Bellenir headlining a fantastic senior class, the Shoremen have lofty goals for this season, but they know they have to start with the SWC, and Wednesday's win was another important step. "It just builds our fire," Bellenir said. "Our goal is a state championship, but our first step is the SWC, so to beat a team like that is really big." Avon Lake 3, Amherst 0 GOALS: A - None; AL - Luke Bellenir (6th minute), Alex Soloff (18th minute), Lincoln Rose (39th minute) ASSISTS: A - None; AL - Coby Ostrowski, Luke Bellenir GOALKEEPERS: A - Casey Giancaterino (7 saves); AL - Lukas Pentz (1 save) SHOTS ON GOAL: A - 1; AL - 11 FOULS: A - 6; AL - 4 CORNER KICKS: A - ; AL - 8 OFFSIDE: A - 0; AL - 4 YELLOW CARDS: A - Ty Pinto HALFTIME - Avon Lake, 3-0