Boys soccer: Wadsworth comes up short in tough test against Twinsburg

WADSWORTH — Facing an early-season test against a quality opponent, the Wadsworth boys soccer team got a blueprint for what it needs to do moving forward. The Grizzlies, a returning Division II regional finalist, went toe-to-toe with returning D-III state finalist Twinsburg despite missing four starters, but ultimately fell to the Tigers 2-0 Tuesday in Suburban League National Conference play. "We played well," senior Kyle Nagel said. "We had some key injuries, so we were all over the place. Learning to adjust and being able to play new spots is key (moving forward)." The first loss of the season was a tough one in terms of the SL National race. After tying North Royalton 2-2 in the league opener, the Grizzlies (3-1-2, 0-1-1) slipped further behind the Tigers (3-1-1, 2-0). Wadsworth had a chance to go up a goal nearly midway through the first half, as leading scorer Justin Lazzaretti (8 goals, 2 assists) battled for space for a shot and fired it high, but Twinsburg keeper Cooper Goodman got just enough of a fingertip on the ball to send it careening off the crossbar and back onto the field of play. "I made a run down the line and did a move to cut in (past the defender)," Lazzaretti said. "I had a shot. The defender blocked it. It rebounded back to me, and I ripped it again. He tipped it and it hit the crossbar. It was a good save by him." A few minutes later the Tigers went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Thatcher Morgan. Mario Sanders started the play with one of Twinsburg's six corner kicks, then a loose ball off a deflection sat near the end line for a little too long and Morgan put it in. Other than that moment, the defense stood firm throughout the first half and the majority of the second while under relentless pressure. Wadsworth goalie Cayden Taylor made seven saves, including a few highlight-worthy stops in the second half. "Losing Benny (Sauser) hurts because he was our center back and we had to move me back," senior Vincent Gambaccini said. "Defense is all about communication. We just have to stay organized. "If we keep training hard at practice, as the season moves along we're going to work together better and tighten up the defense." All three of Wadsworth's shots on goal came in the first half, with Goodman saving lasers from Nagel and Lazzaretti that had a chance to tie the game. Nagel also had a header that went just wide right. The Grizzlies' final quality chance to tie came with 17:35 left in the game when Cole Miller played a ball for Nagel, but Goodman came off his line to grab it just ahead of the hard-charging forward. "We need our wingers to get up," Nagel said of the offense. "We've been sitting back too much. We need our wingers to fly up so we have them on the outside. Laz and I need to connect more and take our shots when we get them." Getting space for shots wasn't easy against the well-organized Tigers. "I had some struggles tonight getting the ball," Lazzaretti said. "Their defense and holding mids were very organized in the back. It was hard to get through them and they have a solid keeper." Twinsburg put a cap on the game when Sanders got the ball in front of the goal and was able to just slide it by Taylor with 9:10 left. "This was a tough loss, but we can't change anything now," Gambaccini said. "It's just something to build off of. We know what we need to fix. "(Twinsburg) was a very good team and this was a good test for us. They showed us some things we need to fix and we'll be fine." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Twinsburg 2, Wadsworth 0 TWINSBURG 1 1 — 2 WADSWORTH 0 0 — 0 First T — Thatcher Morgan, 17:23. Second T — Mario Sanders, 9:10. Shots on goal — Twinsburg 10, Wadsworth 3. Corner kicks — Twinsburg 6, Wadsworth 2. Saves — Cooper Goodman (T) 3, Cayden Taylor (W) 8. Records — Twinsburg (3-1-1, 2-0), Wadsworth (3-1-2, 0-1-1). Junior varsity — Twinsburg 4, Wadsworth 0.