Cuyahoga Heights did its best to shut down Independence’s dangerous offense, especially the lethal right foot of Sam Belitz.
The Redskins crowded the defensive third but Belitz and the Blue Devils eventually found the net in a 6-0 win on Tuesday.
“Ultimately, our possession wore them down and we created some chances off the ball which led to scoring opportunities,” said Independence coach Ryan MacRaild. “We had a chance to get all of our reserves in the second half and get them playing time against our up the road rivals.”
Belitz scored three goals for the Blue Devils while Seamus Kral, Elek McDonald, and Kyle Streibel each had one in the win.
Adam Leibal assisted on a pair of goals.
“Cuyahoga played nine back on defense for most of the game with a marker on Belitz, but eventually he broke out finding some seams,” MacRaild said. “Kyle Streibel scored off the back post on a cross that rang off the post and in. From then we scored four more to end the first half. We created some through the wings and played into the box relatively well with several shots into the hands of the keeper.”
Tyler Korecko recorded a pair of saves notching a new school record 17th career shutout for the Blue Devils.
“I’m really fortunate to have a defense that works so well together and has each other’s backs, it makes all the difference,” Korecko said. “It’s rewarding when hard work pays off, especially in a 6-0 win over our rivals. I would also like to give a shout out to their goalie. The score did not reflect his outstanding effort.”
Colin Mischak recorded 30 saves for the Redskins, who are coached by Bryan Petsche and Mark Pollak, former players of MacRaild’s.
Independence improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division.
