Walsh Jesuit soccer team looking to return to glory days

CUYAHOGA FALLS — It matters not what sport is played. When it's Walsh Jesuit vs. Archbishop Hoban, the intensity level always cranks up a few notches.

The rivalry does ebb and flow, depending on the sport.

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The Knights have had the advantage in the past decade in American football and the Warriors have often enjoyed the edge in the world's football.

Walsh boys soccer coach Tony Catanzarite knows the past decade has been quiet by Warriors standards, especially when compared to the years when Walsh legend John Kissner had them playing among the state's elite.

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Catanzarite has the Warriors moving in the right direction as they opened the playoffs Tuesday at John Kissner Field.

Kissner would have approved of the Warriors' performance — and the lousy weather in which they played.

On a drizzly, windy night, Walsh (12-4-2) overcame the elements and blanked Hoban (2-10-5) for the second time this season, scoring a 4-0 sectional win in the Division I Cleveland 3 District Tournament.

Sixth-seeded Walsh will host 13th-seeded Mentor in a sectional final Saturday at 7 p.m.

A 1997 Walsh graduate who played under Kissner during his high school days, Catanzarite said Tuesday was "John Kissner weather," which is to say wet and miserable.

"He had a choice of playing on turf [at Conway Memorial Stadium] or on grass [at Kissner]," Catanzarite said. "We chose to play here on our home field. All the guys got here extra early to prepare themselves for the conditions. We were just going to defend our turf."

Walsh captain Jack Burke said the Warriors' attitude in the slippery conditions was "bring it on."

"Playing on this field, we knew we could handle it," Burke said. "It really wasn't that much of an adjustment."

While Kissner Field was in excellent shape despite recent rains, the soggy pitch took a lot of bite out of the Warriors' short passing game.

"It was a bit more direct for us," Catanzarite said. "We needed to use our speed a bit more, but our kids did a great job."

"We had to adjust to the rain, but it was really the same game plan we had all year," Burke said. "We were able to get to the end line and work from there."

Walsh settled in with a hustle goal from midfielder Xavier Monroe in the sixth minute, when he made a long run behind Hoban's defense and beat Knights keeper Joseph Stock to score.

Midfielder Victor Mancini was a menace down the right side for the Warriors. He set up Walsh's second goal in the 21st minute, lofting a corner kick to the back post where Andrew Conti headed it home from close range.

Mancini was at it again eight minutes later. After a steal, he sprinted to the end line and centered a ball into the box to Diego Calixtc, who tapped it home to make it 3-0.

Because it is Walsh-Hoban, things got physical late in the first half and three yellow cards were handed out, including one to the Hoban coaches for dissent.

Walsh put the game out of reach early in the second half. Off another corner kick in the 48th minute, defender Ryan Robusto found the net in traffic to make it 4-0.

Hoban slowed Walsh's attack in second, but still was on the wrong end of a 10-2 edge in shots on goal. Neither of the Knights attempts troubled Walsh keeper Quinn Anderson.

By contrast, Stock had an active night, making five saves including a diving stop in the 60th minute.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh Jesuit starts fast in high school soccer tournament