Boys district soccer: Avon Lake blanks Lakewood to win final

CUYAHOGA FALLS — It may have been a district final, but for Avon Lake, it was just business as usual. The Shoremen cruised to their second straight district title Saturday morning, beating Lakewood in a match they controlled from the start in large part thanks to their high pressure. "Lakewood loves to possess the ball, and we know that," said Avon Lake coach Pete Klepek. "We knew we were going to pressure them high early on." Despite having the majority of possession early, it took some time for Avon Lake to turn that possession into chances. But 15 minutes in, it was given a gift as Alex Soloff tackled a Lakewood defender who dawdled over the ball and it ricocheted into the net to put Avon Lake in front. It took less than two minutes for the Shoremen to double their advantage through Guy Goldyn, who won the ball high before playing a brilliant one-two with Brendan Stupp and lifting the ball over Rangers goalkeeper Louis Van Der Kuil to make it 2-0. "I saw the ball coming into the middle and I knew I could pick the pass off," Goldyn said. "I was able to find my guy Brennan up top. He laid it off to me and I just slotted it home." From there, Avon Lake was in control and were able to keep possession, holding Lakewood without a shot on goal. The second half was much of the same for the Shoremen. After a couple of half-chances for the Rangers early in the second half, they locked things down with a defense that has allowed only eight goals in 20 games this season. Goal prevention is only part of the value of Avon Lake's defense, however, as its defenders' ability to play with the ball allows it to control games the way it did Saturday. "I take a lot of pride in leading the back line," said center back Drew Krupitzer. "I can see the whole field, so I like to communicate and control the field." As a four-year starter and captain, Krupitzer is possibly Avon Lake's most important player, but he made sure to give credit to the entire back line its performance. "There was a gap at center back because one of last year's starters left, and Alex Bellenir came in as a sophomore and has played a lot bigger than that," Krupitzer said. "And our two outside backs, Riley (Stiles) and Silas (Spagnola), have stepped up huge, especially today, so I'm really proud of the boys." Avon Lake will face Anthony Wayne in a regional semifinal next Wednesday. Box Score Avon Lake 2, Lakewood 0 Goals: L - none; AL - Alex Soloff (15th minute), Guy Goldyn (16th minute) Assists: L - none; AL - Brendan Stupp Goalkeepers: L - Louis Van Der Kuil (11 saves); AL - Lukas Pentz (0 saves) Shots on goal: L - 0; AL - 13 Fouls: L - 6; AL - 3 Corner kicks: L - 1; AL - 4 Offside: L - 2; AL - 0 Halftime - Avon Lake, 2-0