PARMA — The West Geauga Wolverines are moving on — and doing it in dominant fashion.
Fueled by intensity and redemption, West Geauga blanked rival Chagrin Falls, 2-0, in a Division IV, Region 16 semifinal Tuesday night at Byers Field, punching its ticket to the Elite Eight.
The Wolverines delivered their most complete performance of the year, outworking and outlasting a familiar foe they had circled on the calendar since October.
“It was all about their intensity. That’s what we spoke about leading in because we felt in the second half (in the first match with Chagrin) we were kind of on our heels, and it cost us,” said West Geauga co-head coach Nate Vargo. “We won every 50-50 ball, and it was their best game all year. I’m at a loss for words and almost out of my voice. They did exactly what we worked on, and they did it perfectly.”
West Geauga struck first in the 32nd minute when Addison Cook slipped a perfect pass to Faelynn Beckrest, who buried it in the corner for a 1-0 lead.
“When we got that first goal, it was incredible. We knew from that point on it was our game and that we had to keep going,” Cook said. “I was dribbling down the field, I saw Fae, slotted (the ball) through, and she finished it off in the corner.”
The Wolverines carried that lead into halftime and wasted no time extending it. Just four minutes into the second half, Cook calmly converted a penalty kick in the 44th minute to double the advantage and put the match out of reach.
“We knew we had to score more than one. They’re a good team and they know how to finish,” Beckrest said. “They can finish when they’re down, and we knew we had to keep playing hard throughout the entire game.”
The victory marked another stop on West Geauga’s revenge tour — one that began with last year’s early postseason exit and reignited after a 3-2 regular-season loss to Chagrin Falls on Oct. 8.
“It takes a short memory. The girls have been able to bounce back, and we’ve been asking them to be mentally tough,” said co-head coach Lidia Rodin. “They have been mentally tough, and it showed today, where they could have come in with their heads hanging, knowing they lost to them in the regular season, but they didn’t. We’ve been preaching that mental toughness all year, but the girls wanted that game back, and they got it when it mattered.”
For Chagrin Falls, the season ends at 12-8-1, but not without pride in a senior class that helped steer a young squad through the ups and downs of the year.
“The five seniors were amazing for us this year, and they did things for us, not just on the field, but off. They did a wonderful job leading this team because we were young, not a ton of experience, and they kept this team going, especially in the tough moments,” said Tigers head coach Joe Ciuni. “We are going to miss them just the way that they carried themselves, how they interacted with all their teammates, and all the leadership qualities they brought on and off, all the intangibles. This group had it. We’re going to miss them.”
With 15 players returning — and more talent rising through the program — the Tigers’ future looks bright.
“I’m very excited for the future of this group. I know what’s coming back. I know what’s coming up in the next couple of classes as well, through the middle school,” Ciuni said. “We’re going to be a team that’s going to be a force to be reckoned with going forward, and we’ll be ready for next season.”
West Geauga will play Gahanna Columbus Academy in the Region 16 championship game on Saturday at Clear Fork High School.
“We have high expectations for this group, and they feel that pressure from us,” Rodin said. “They delivered today, and I would say thus far it is their best game, and I would love to see more, but I’m happy with how they played today.”
