Boys soccer: Medina wins GCC title in final game in conference

MEDINA — Playing in its final Greater Cleveland Conference game against a traditional rival that dates to the Pioneer Conference, the Medina boys soccer team was out to make a statement Tuesday night. The Bees did what they set out to accomplish, beating Strongsville 1-0 to win the GCC championship in what amounted to a winner-take-all title game. Medina (12-2-3, 7-0) departs the GCC as champion in seven of the last eight seasons. It also stopped an 11-game winning streak by the Mustangs (12-2, 6-1). Winning the GCC was the first step of the Bees' resurgent season. Next up is making a deep postseason run that begins Tuesday against Canton McKinley. "We had this day circled for a long time," sophomore defender Chase Wilbur said. "Since the beginning of the season, we knew this had the opportunity to be for the GCC championship. "Obviously, we wanted to win this game, but the job's not finished. We still have all the playoff games that we want to make a run through." Wilbur gave Medina an early boost just nine minutes into the first half. Cooper Korduba set up for a long free kick that found the head of Brody Gannon, who knocked it to Wilbur for a header that snuck between the left post and Strongsville goalie Josh Crnic. "We wanted to come out with lots of energy," Wilbur said. "We work on that in practice all the time, so it was good to see it finally go in the net. "(The Mustangs) were flat after that. It's really hard to come back from a 1-0 deficit in this type of environment with us at home." Wilbur also played a pivotal role in a defensive effort that smothered Strongsville into being shut out for the first time since a 2-0 loss to Avon on Aug. 18. That effort was led by captain Jackson Harvey, along with defenders Logan Abernathy and Gavin Williams, and held the Mustangs to just three shots on goal. Featuring Leo Morana (24 goals, 3 assists) and Hayden Frye (12, 7), Strongsville entered with 53 goals in 13 games. "We knew they had three really good guys (Morana, Frye and Mark Cojucaru)," Harvey said. "(Morana) liked to move around a lot and cut in. "We played really well. It took a lot of communication, being organized and everybody staying in the moment." Cojucaru and Morana each had one shot on goal that Bees goalie Bennett Werthmuller handled easily. Werthmuller also saved a shot by Jake Hajek in the second half. "We made sure we were on Morana all the time, He's a very talented player," Wilbur said. "We communicated throughout the back. It was a great effort from us tonight and really great goalkeeping by Bennett tonight." The win extends Medina's unbeaten streak to nine, going 7-0-2 over that stretch. That includes three consecutive 1-0 victories over the Mustangs and Medina County rivals Brunswick and Wadsworth as the Bees head into the postseason. "The last three games have definitely boosted us," Harvey said. "We had Brunswick, a really good team, in the rain, Wadsworth was an early morning game before homecoming and this one tops it all off and sends us in (to the postseason) looking really good right now." Less than one minute before Wilbur's goal, the Bees nearly got on the scoreboard when Gannon sent a ball high toward the goal that went off the crossbar. Xavier Abernathy and Cooper Fuller had shots saved by Crnic. In addition to its shots on goal, Strongsville had an opportunity to force a tie and share the GCC title with two minutes left when Antonio Colabianchi took a free kick from right of the box, but Emmett Byrne's header went wide right. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 1, Strongsville 0 STRONGSVILLE 0 0 — 0 MEDINA 1 0 — 1 First M — Chase Wilbur (Brody Gannon), 31:00. Shots on goal — Strongsville 3, Medina 3. Corner kicks — Strongsville 2, Medina 4. Saves — Josh Crnic (S) 2, Bennett Werthmuller (M) 3. Records — Strongsville (12-2, 6-1), Medina (11-2-3, 7-0). Junior varsity — Medina 1, Strongsville 0.