Cardinal’s nine seniors have helped to turn the Huskies into a formidable opponent in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division.
It was only fitting that they’d be honored on Senior Night with a 4-0 win over rival Berkshire on Tuesday.
“It was a great night for the seniors,” said Cardinal coach Mike Topalian. “I’m so happy for them. These guys have put in so much work in the last three and four years. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago this team only won two games and was getting beat on a regular basis by seven or eight goals. It’s amazing what the senior class decided to do and change the direction of the program.
That group includes Jake Revak, who scored three goals in the win, and Todd Wright, who closed out the scoring.
“Jake was really aggressive tonight, which was great to see. He was everywhere. He made two quick plays in the first handful of minutes to put us up 2-0 and kind of set the tone for the whole game. His speed made a big difference. He was really impressive tonight. Todd’s another track athlete and he used his speed to make a play on a loose ball.”
Connor Smith, Spencer Starr, Alex Hutchinson, Jacob LeQuyea, Jacob Villalta, Nathan Dhayer and Patrick Lanstrum also were honored for their contributions to the Cardinal program.
The Huskies, who improved to 7-6-1, recorded their second straight shutout and sixth of the season.
“That’s the biggest difference and biggest turnaround for our team and program,” Topalian said. “The guys really bought into the fact that they need to toughen up and be more physical. I’m so proud of the fullbacks and the defensive mids and, obviously, Austin (Miller) in the goal. They really brought attitude and were physical again.”
Cardinal travels to Lawrence School on Thursday.
