Girls soccer: Highland beats Roosevelt, now on verge of SL American title

GRANGER TWP. — Avalynn Price had a flashback to numerous injuries sustained throughout her career and let out a scream that hushed the crowd, but she's a tough cookie. The Highland girls soccer senior hobbled to her feet, remained in the game and showed her toughness to spark her team. The moment happened in a mathematically still-in-doubt Suburban League American Conference showdown with Roosevelt that technically had first place at stake Wednesday. It came in the box, too, giving Vanessa Zufall an easy penalty kick opportunity that ignited a second-half push in a 4-0 blowout that could have been worse. The defending Division III state runner-up Hornets (10-1-1, 5-0) are on the cusp of another league crown. Only Cuyahoga Falls (1-9-1, 0-4-1) stands in the way of a potential winner-take-all matchup at Revere (9-2-1, 4-0-1) on Oct. 9. "We didn't have a slow start — we came out with a quick shot — but once we got that first goal, others started coming in," Price said. "It's something that we've actually struggled with. A lot of times we score way more in the second half than in the first half, but once we get it, everything else just clicks." The Rough Riders (7-4-2, 3-1-1), who were four days removed from a 3-1 loss to sub-.500 Wadsworth, understandably went all in with the age-old strategy of packing the box in the hopes of clearing to Audrey Haines at midfield and then using two full-sprint wings to create fastbreak opportunities. That worked somewhat in the first half until All-Gazette goalie Hailey Trzaska made a diving save and Zufall found Grace Shondel for the ice-breaking goal with 19:07 on the clock. Highland wasn't playing its best heading into recess despite having six shots on goal and three corner kicks. However, the Hornets were crisp from the opening tap of the second, when Price got the ball near the top the box and was taken down by a defender just 1:16 in. Zufall converted and the floodgates opened. Price made a nifty pivot off a Jordyn Caples feed — almost in the exact spot where she was taken down earlier — and fired past goalie Grace Schoenberger for a 3-0 lead, then Zufall chipped home a goal off an Amelia Price pass and the game was all but over with 19:04 remaining. "I got the ball to me and my back was against the goal, and I tried to turn," Avalynn Price said of the penalty. "I never know what happens in those scenarios, but all I know is my ankle got clipped and it twisted. "As somebody who has dealt with a lot of injuries, those things really freak me out the most, especially when I got hit in the ankle a second time (near midfield a few minutes later). I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me."' The Highland defense didn't have to work too incredibly hard — Roosevelt had just four shots on goal — but players like Amelia Price, Katie Wetzel, Abby Moore and Morgan Hemming did a great job of controlling possession and applying pressure. The only question was whether the shutout would hold once backups began sprinkling in, and that was answered resoundingly. With approximately 12 minutes to play, Haines got a good look at the goal and Trzaska was forced to leap directly upward. The ball bounced off the crossbar and to the right side of the goal, where Annie Howard made a gutsy play in traffic near the line to eventually clear the threat. That was the Rough Riders' final shot on goal, and neither team had another one over the final 9½ minutes. Since a surprising 0-0 tie with Buckeye on Sept. 15, Highland has won three straight by a combined 20-1 score. The Hornets will be tested Saturday at home against Avon, the Southwestern Conference leader. "I think we learned a lot from the Buckeye game, especially our areas in attack," Zufall said. "We definitely struggled with that in that game, so we used that to our advantage to learn from it. We've done a really good job, especially from the last couple of games that we've had." Contact Albert Grindle at sports@medina-gazette.com. Highland 4, Roosevelt 0 ROOSEVELT&emsp;0 0 — 0 HIGHLAND&emsp;1 3 — 4 First H — Grace Shondel (Vanessa Zufall), 19:07. Second H — Zufall (penalty kick), 38:44. H — Avalynn Price (Jordyn Caples), 29:59. H — Zufall (Amelia Price), 19:04. Shots on goal — Roosevelt 4, Highland 13. Corner kicks — Roosevelt 3, Highland 5. Saves — Grace Shoenberger (R) 9, Highland 4. Records — Roosevelt (7-4-2, 3-1-1), Highland (10-1-1, 5-0). Junior varsity — Highland 1, Roosevelt 0.