YIANNI SARRIS STRIKES EARLY AND THE 'CATS TAME THE TIGERS WITH A FOUR-GOAL SECOND HALF.
THE NATION'S TOP-RANKED TEAM WILL FACE MASSILLON JACKSON IN SATURDAY'S REGIONAL FINALS.
YIANNI SARRIS COMMITS TO FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY.
STORIES POSTED ON 11/3/10 AT 1:54 A.M.
By Eddie Dwyer
Copyright, November 2010
RAVENNA, OHIO – Saint Ignatius' gifted senior captain and midfielder Yianni Sarris said he and his teammates realize there is a target on their backs, being the No.1-ranked soccer team in both the state poll and the national polls.
“We come out every single game with the right tempo, the right energy,” Sarris said. “You can tell by being in the locker room that everybody is pumped up for every game. We didn't even know who Warrren Howland was until this past week. Everyone was fired up. We got out here, gave it our all and motivated each other to play.”
With Sarris helping set the tempo early and the Wildcats playing with the “But for the guy next to me” attitude that assistant coach Jim Brennan '85 spoke of so eloquently in his pregame speech, Saint Ignatius wore down the aggressive Tigers from Warren Howland, 5-0, in Tuesday night's Division I regional semifinal on Gilcrest Field in Ravenna Stadium.
The Wildcats, who took command with four goals in the second half, improved to 20-0 and advanced to Saturday's regional championship match up with Massillon Jackson at Rocky River High School. Game time is 3 p.m.
Massillon Jackson gave the 'Cats one of their toughest regular-season games this fall, as Saint Ignatius had to rally in the final eight minutes for a 2-1 victory in Massillon on Sept. 25.
The Wildcats, who defeated Jackson, 2-0, in last year's regional final at Rocky River, will be seeking their third consecutive regional title and their eighth overall.
Howland, which advanced to regional play by defeating Canfield, 2-1, on a shootout, closed its season at 16-4.
“These are the games we all look forward to,” Sarris said, referring to Saturday's second 2010 encounter with the Polar Bears of Jackson. “No one is afraid of Massillon Jackson, don't get me wrong. But it will be a good game, that's for sure. I'm not taking anything away from Massillon Jackson, but they better be ready.”
Sarris was ready from the get-go on what was a brisk, to say the least, early November night in Portage County.
Reacting to the rebound off a shot by junior forward Matt Foldesy, Yianni scored his 15th goal of the season on a smooth and authoritative shot at the 38:42 mark of the first half.
That was the only score in the first 40 minutes, as both goalies, Saint Ignatius junior Brendan Cash and Howland senior Robert Daniels, were solid.
However, as good as Daniels was in the first half, his efforts and those of his teammates weren't enough to hold down the unselfish, savvy and deep Wildcats.
Caging the Tigers in the final 40 minutes, Coach Mike McLaughlin's team began its settle-the-issue run with a perfect header by senior defender Greg Kurtz off a throw in. It came with less than five minutes gone in the second half and sailed into the right corner of the net.
“Yianni and I work on that in practice a lot,” Kurtz said. “I usually just run up on throw-ins that are close. Yianni's got a long throw, so we take advantage of that. I usually go front post and Yianni put it right there.
“It (being a defender) is perfect for my style of play,” Kurtz continued. “Whether it's 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 (formations), I try to take advantage of both of them.”
With Sarris continuing to play a major role in all facets of the game, Saint Ignatius pushed its lead to 3-0 on a goal by senior midfielder Ryan Ivancic off a strong cross by Sarris. It was Ryan's 10th net-finder of the fall and came with 25:44 remaining to be played.
'Cats' sophomore defender Nate Fahey, unmarked by the Tigers' defense, fired a goal down the middle at 8:11 and junior forward Preston Spurrier closed out the impressive second half by tallying the fifth goal with 2:15 on the clock.
“It takes time to sort out a team and it takes time to play on this field, it's old turf,” said Coach McLaughlin '85, whose Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 93-10. “It's hard to settle into a rhythm when the other team is breaking down that rhythm, and they (Howland) did a good job of that early. But it was nice to score early. When you do that, life's a lot easier.
“As the game flows, you have to change formations and it's nice that our guys are so adaptable,” Coach McLaughlin said in reference to Howland's aggressive play. “We have to be at the top of our game (Saturday versus Jackson), as soon as the whistle blows, to play at the level we want to play at. And we weren't at that level in that (Sept. 25) game. We'll be ready for them in this next game, guaranteed.”
YIANNI PICKS FLORIDA GULF COAST: During Tuesday's post-game interview, Yianni Sarris confirmed that he will be furthering his education and soccer career next year at Florida Gulf Coast University.
“It's a fairly new program,” Yianni said of Florida Gulf Coast soccer. “I think they've only had a soccer program for four years. This year they were ranked as high as twelve in the RPI rankings.
“Coach Butehorn (Eagles head coach Bob Butehorn) saw me three years ago in Sarasota, Fla., at a showcase. Ever since he liked me, but he had to wait to recruit me legally. So he came after me, I went down there to visit and I loved it.”
In last week's NCAA RIP rankings, FGCU was at 21 and the Eagles were ranked 23rd in Soccer America's Top 25 poll.