West Geauga kicked off the 2024 season with a 2-1 win over NDCL on Tuesday and the Wolverines are poised to collect even more victories this fall.
The Wolverines, who finished 7-9-1 overall and 2-3 in the Chagrin Valley Conference last season, return five starters and four others with varsity experience.
“I think that we will be able to build on the progress we made last season and hopefully we should be able to improve our record and challenge for our conference,” said third-year head coach Daniel Cappelucci. “We have a talented group of players who are ready to step up to the challenge.”
West Geauga must replace six starters from a season ago, but Cappelucci is confident he has the talent on his roster to fill those holes.
“We have a lot of experienced players returning as well as some talented freshmen who will try and fill those roles for us,” he said. “We have a number of players who are capable of playing multiple roles, so it’ll be our job to find out how to get the best out of every player in the group to make the strongest team.”
Both starting forwards return from last season.
Senior Frankie Sassano scored 11 goals and added five assists on his way to being named first-team All-CVC and honorable mention All-Greater Cleveland. Junior Ben Mackin scored six goals with one assist. He was an honorable mention All-CVC performer.
“Frankie had an excellent junior season for us and really improved his game. He led our team in goals and points as we greatly improved our offense from the previous season. Frankie is a dangerous player who works hard with and without the ball and is constantly a threat when in possession. We will look to Frankie to be a leader for us this season,” Cappelucci said. “Ben built on a strong freshman season and had a great sophomore year. He improved on his goals and assists and was a constant threat for us when moving into the final third. Ben’s pace makes him difficult to defend and he is constantly looking to attack the goal. We are expecting another great year from Ben, now as one of our upperclassmen this year.”
Senior Alex Schaffer returns in the midfield. He scored two goals and added a pair of assists last fall.
“Alex was off to a great junior year before he had to sit out with an injury. Now healthy, we are looking to Alex to be a leader for us in the midfield and provide us a spark both with his offense and his defense,” Cappelucci said. “Alex has an incredible motor and is willing to do the work to get up and down the field. He is capable of scoring himself or providing assists to his teammates. We’re excited to watch Alex improve his game and lead the team.”
West Geauga’s defense has two returning starters and junior keeper Mason Mobley is back in the net.
Senior Chase Pirosko scored one goal with two assists last season. He and senior Thomas Kirchner were named second-team All-CVC and honorable mention All-Greater Cleveland.
“Chase was one of our best defenders during his junior year and we are glad to have him back as a senior. He never backs down from a challenge and consistently wins his defensive duals with his opponent. Capable of playing in multiple positions, Chase is an incredibly important player for us,” Cappelucci said. “Thomas is an incredibly versatile player. He can truly play any position on the field for us, and he is willing to do whatever the team needs. He has stood out as a sophomore and junior as one of our strongest defenders, but Thomas can also play in the midfield or in the attack. As our returning captain, we will look to Ty to lead us on the field as well as off of it. We are excited to see Ty’s game develop as a senior and watch him lead this year’s team.”
Mobley stepped into the starting role late last season following an injury.
“We have seen him perform countless times in practice but to step up and be the number one keeper during the postseason after not playing many varsity minutes was impressive,” Cappelucci said. “We are very happy to bring Mason back and we’re looking forward to seeing how he improves this season.”
West Geauga has a solid core of returning players that helped the Wolverines get off to a great start this season.
To continue collecting wins, the Wolverines must continue to work hard and remain focused.
“We will need to work hard in practice to compete and get better every day. If we put the work in during training, we will see those efforts translate to the games, and hopefully into positive results,” Cappelucci said. “If we can work together, defending and attacking as a team, we will be able to find success. It will take our whole team working together and being on the same page, not just relying on individuals.”
