Hilltoppers defense shuts down Tigers in fourth quarter for 10-8 victory – News-Herald

Chardon’s Elle Deszczykiewicz brings the ball up the court against Chagrin Fall’s Lindsay Burgess on April 22. (Ben Hercik – The News-Herald)

Chardon and Chagrin Falls entered the fourth quarter of their match on April 22 evenly. The Hilltoppers put up a brick wall, culminating in a save from Makenna Ricketts with just under a minute left.

Lauren Jackson and Payton Platz had goals in the final quarter that pushed the Hilltoppers to a 10-8 victory in a crucial Region 6 match.

Chardon improved to 7-3, while Chagrin Falls fell to 5-3.

Jackson opened the scoring for Chardon and Platz and Morgan Slack added goals in the first quarter. Chardon had five players in the scoring column, with Kaelyn Cardina and Riley McKenna also scoring one each.

The biggest problem for Chardon in the first quarter was the draw check, as Chagrin Falls went six of eight from the circle. Coach Alison Platz said this is an area the team needs to work on, as the Hilltoppers did with the offense.

“We’ve been messing around with the formations and in the end it comes down to finding the ball,” Alison said. “Just the will to want it and finding the right match in the circle. We really worked on the focus of having seven players on the pitch who want to work together and not just score. I think they’re starting to understand that concept and understand the spaces and cuts that we want to play with.

The offense was set up by strong defensive work from the Hilltoppers, highlighted by the transition play led by Skylar Duval-Lewis. Duval-Lewis created a groundball takeaway downfield to set up the offense four times.

Duval-Lewis has worked on being the starter for the offense. She knows it may not show up in the stats, but it gets the Hilltoppers’ offense going.

“It’s hard sometimes, but I rely a lot on the sidelines and the energy they bring,” Duval-Lewis said. “It’s great to hear the help from other players like my sister Rory and McKenzie (Topalian). It’s like I have eyes on everything and everyone helps me know where to go, where the looks are and I have such an encouraging team.

While Chardon had a strong attack, Chagrin Falls answered and scored the Hilltoppers goal for goal. The Tigers took the lead at the end of the first quarter with goals from Emma Thatcher, Mary-Claire Holdren and a pair from Bailey Corto.

Corto completed the hat trick in the second quarter, with third-quarter goals from Alex Chinnici, Claire Hoetzel and Thather to tie the game heading into the fourth.

Ricketts’ message to the defense entering the final frame was simple. They’ve had moments in their four straight wins to prepare them for this moment.

“Coach Platz always tells us that everyone is physically tired when we are together,” Ricketts said. “But that comes from courage and work ethic. That message is present throughout the defense and is something we are proud of. We talk about it with the assistant coaches and with ourselves. We have worked hard on the defense and we have tried to find a good formation. Rory and MacKenzie have helped strengthen the defensive third of the pitch.”

Thatcher drew a penalty with just under a minute remaining and the Tigers trailed by two. Ricketts made her 11th save of the game to ice the game.

Ricketts also had a strong start to the second quarter as she recorded four saves in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

That moment plus Chardon’s offense pushing into the lead gave her and the defense the confidence to stay aggressive.

“In my mind the whole game was intense and that was the situation I was prepared for,” Ricketts said. “I was calm and that is one of the most important parts of the rescue. An important factor in that calmness was knowing that the team had my back. They took the lead and that helped me relax a bit and that save allowed me to have some closure.

Chagrin Falls returns home April 25 for a match with Magnificat. Chardon has made a quick turnaround with another home fixture with a WRC match against Riverside on April 23.

THE SCORE

Chardon 10, Chagrin Falls 8