MIDDLEFIELD—Cuyahoga Heights and Cardinal played a back and forth affair at Richard A. Moss Field on Tuesday. In the end, it was the visiting Redskins that pulled out a 3-2 victory.
With both teams filling their rosters with multiple underclassmen, there looked to be a lot of hope for the future. With eight freshmen on the team for the Redskins, head coach Bryan Petsche was extremely pleased with their first performance.
“The fact that they were able to go in there and be physical and not back down makes me hopeful for this year,” Petsche said.
Junior Ryan Rose scored two goals to help pace the Redskins to their first victory of the season.
“It’s great to get a win in the first game and I want to continue the momentum,” Rose stated.
Alongside Rose, sophomore, Jonathon Nejman also scored a goal on the evening while goalie Brent Blasinsky finished with six saves.
While the Huskies dropped their home opener, head coach Mike Topalian is hopeful to see growth from his young roster. With seven freshmen on the team, it may take time for the Huskies to figure things out.
“In the first half we missed our assignments but by the second half, the efforts increased,” Topalian said. With help from senior
Senior Zane Drebus scored both of Cardinal’s goals.
“He’s an amazing competitor, captain, and we are going to rely on him heavily this year to not only get results on the field, but just to show the freshmen what to do, how to play, and approach the game,” Topalian said. “
Senior Austin Miller recorded nine saves on the evening for the Huskies.
Cuyahoga Heights was scheduled to host St. Martin DePorres on Wednesday but that game has since been canceled. Cardinal returns to action on Thursday against Lawrence Academy. That home contest is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
