Girls soccer: Cloverleaf continues revenge tour by shutting out Norton

WESTFIELD TWP. — The Cloverleaf girls soccer team continued its vengeance tour Thursday and dominated Norton 3-0 in a Metro Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal. Next up is a rematch with Streetsboro (12-3-1), which beat Field 1-0 in the other semifinal, Thursday at Kent State for the outright conference title. The Colts (13-0-2) won the regular-season title, and a win would give them the overall crown. A tough 2-1 overtime loss to the Rockets forced Cloverleaf to fall into a share of the championship last fall. "We want a lot of revenge from last year," Cloverleaf forward Kayla Shook said. "I think the games we've had with either Field or Streetsboro, both games we controlled it very well. Field, we didn't finish as well and Streetsboro we did." The Colts have no desire to share this season and have rolled over MAC foes, including a 5-1 blowout of Streetsboro on Sept. 29 and a 2-1 decision against Field on Sept. 10. To get their shot at the crown, the Colts had to overcome a bit of a slow start against the Panthers (9-5-1) in which they didn't finish chances. Defender Presley "Big Boot" McConnell had exactly what her team needed when she gathered a free ball around midfield, dribbled into the offensive end and buried one of her patented long-range kicks from 35 yards to give Cloverleaf a 1-0 lead. "The ball came out from their defense, and I saw an opportunity from my range and I took it," McConnell said. "I think it helped us get motivation and helped us get the upper hand. It made us come together as a team." The goal with 25:28 left in the first half provided a lift, as Cloverleaf held only the 1-0 lead despite peppering Norton keeper Chloe Womble with nine first-half shots. It didn't take long for Hannah Hopek to provide some separation for the Colts when she tallied the second goal just 4:29 into the second half. Hopek fired three shots on goal and five more that were just off the mark, including one off the right post with 16:30 remaining in the first. "I took a lot of shots," Hopek said. "When I finally made it, it was a relief. It brought up my confidence, and I feel like it brought up the whole team." The Colts notched six more shots in the second half, with Shook providing the final nail with 2:15 remaining. Stella Bennett picked up another shutout, easily handling the Panthers' only attempted shot with 23:30 remaining. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Cloverleaf 3, Norton 0 NORTON 0 0 — 0 CLOVERLEAF 1 2 — 3 First C — Presley McConnell, 25:28. Second C — Hannah Hopek, 35:31. C — Kayla Shook, 2:15. Shots on goal — Norton 1, Cloverleaf 15. Corner kicks — Norton 0, Cloverleaf 5. Saves — Chloe Womble (N) 12, Stella Bennett (Cl) 1. Records — Norton (9-5-1), Cloverleaf (13-0-2).