Boys Regional Soccer: Avon gets early goal, makes it stand, heads back to Final Four

MACEDONIA — The celebration was subdued at the final buzzer of Sunday's Division II regional final at Nordonia's Boliantz Stadium. After all, Avon's been here before. The defending Division II state champion Eagles are back in the Final Four after a 1-0 win over Lakewood to earn their third trip to the state tournament in the last six years. Senior Valentino Cruzado gave Avon the only goal it needed in the 10th minute when he received a pass from Cole Veverka on the near sideline, dribbled to the side of the 18-yard box and fired a shot across that net out of the reach of goalkeeper Peter Humphreys. "We were all dialed in waiting for a moment like that," Cruzado said of his third goal of the year. "Personally I came into this game thinking how could I leave my mark, and I think I stepped up to that moment." With a defense that hasn't allowed a goal in four postseason matches and just two goals in its last 10 matches, that was all the offense Avon needed. Senior goalkeeper Owen Huron made three saves for the Eagles, who improved to 16-1-3. "I owe it all to my defense. They've been putting their bodies on the line and stopping everything," Huron said. "We practice strong defense every day, Coach wants us to step to every ball and win every tackle. Cole Veverka and Vincent (Palumbo) win every ball. I've rarely ever seen them get beat." The Eagles defense was put to work in the second half as Lakewood (16-5-1) maintained possession in the midfield. However, the Avon defense turned back every challenge and continually forced the Rangers to retreat and regroup in their defensive third. "Lakewood gave us fits in the second half, but we got the job done," coach Chris Dore said. "I'm just happy we have the chance to play again. "Our back line is awesome to watch. Sometimes I hate the fact that we have to watch them too much. I feel good any time we step on the field with those guys." Avon outshot the Rangers 5-3 and earned five second-half corner kicks but was unable to turn those opportunities into strong scoring chances. The Eagles have won 10 consecutive playoff games dating to 2025. That streak will be tested when they face Toledo St. Francis de Sales in a state semifinal Wednesday at Clyde High School. The Knights (17-0-4) won their regional final Sunday, defeating Kings, Avon's opponent in last year's state final, 3-0. "They're No. 1 in the state and they have a strong schedule," Dore said, looking ahead to Wednesday's matchup. "We know it's going to be a challenge but last year the Brecksville game was a challenge as was the final game against Kings. If you get to this point, you can't expect any easy games." Like the Eagles, St. Francis de Sales has yet to be scored upon in the postseason. In fact, it has only allowed five goals all year. Huron could only watch from the sidelines during Avon's 2025 state title run. Now he's looking forward to hopefully leading his team to back-to-back titles. "It's exciting to be headed back to state, especially since I am playing now," Huron said. "It's going to be fun. It's always fun when you have another chance to play a game with your boys." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.