Eagles Advance in OHSAA Soccer Tournament

Eagle head coach Jim Duffy speaks to his team after the game.

The St. Edward soccer team defeated Max Hayes 7-0 Wednesday evening In a first round OHSAA tournament game. The Eagles (4-10-1) now advance to play North Royalton High School Saturday in North Royalton.

                Max Hayes put up a strong effort against the Eagles, holding the score to 1-0 at halftime. Sophomore Brady Foutz scored the  first goal just under four minutes into the game. It appeared that St. Edward would have a blowout win, similar to last year’s 19-0 tournament victory over Max Hayes. The Lakers buckled down defensively, keeping the Eagles scoreless for the rest of the half despite being outshot 23-2.

                St. Edward widened the lead early in the second half, as Foutz put in a header with 37:37 left in the game to make it 2-0. Junior Patrick Gray followed with another goal less than three minutes later, making it 3-0. Eagle Head Coach inserted his entire bench into the game during the second half, giving the entire roster a chance to play. The reserve players did very well, gradually expanding the final margin to 7-0.

The Eagles move on to a far larger challenge on Saturday night, when they play the #2-seed North Royalton. “We’re going to have to be very effective,” said St. Edward head coach Jim Duffy after Wednesday’s game. “We need to continue the effort” he said about his young team, stressing that they will need to minimize mistakes and keep taking their opportunities. Game time for the matchup will be 7pm.