Wickliffe vs. Cardinal Mooney boys soccer: Blue Devils stay close for an hour, but are ousted, 4-0

Nov. 2—BOARDMAN — Wickliffe knew going into its Division III regional semifinal against Cardinal Mooney at Boardman that it was in for a wild ride.

The Cardinals are one of Ohio's best D-III sides, one which would make it difficult to do much of anything that had gotten the Blue Devils to regional competition for the first time in 16 years.

The ride ended in Boardman thanks to that wild ride. But overall, what a ride it was for Wickliffe.

The Blue Devils hung within a goal past the hour mark despite a heavy possession and shots-on-target disparity.

But Mooney got a hat trick from Nick Pregibon, including a pair of strikes five minutes apart late, as the Cardinals blew open a 4-0 victory.

PHOTOS: Wickliffe-Cardinal Mooney boys soccer, Nov. 2, 2022

Wickliffe concludes its fall 16-5. Mooney will encounter another News-Herald coverage area side in Beachwood, a 2-1 extra-time winner over Norwayne, in a D-III regional final at 4 p.m. Nov. 5 at Warren Howland.

"Yeah, I thought it was good," Blue Devils coach Dominik Severino said. "We had to get them on the counter, and we had to keep our shape, which I thought we did as good as we did all year, honestly. I thought that was about as good as we could keep defensive shape. Hindsight being 20-20, I thought we could have used a little more width here and there, we'd have had more chances in the game.

"But overall, I can't be mad. It's a good team. I thought we played great. Once they put the second one in at this level, in that type of game, it's going to take the wind out of your sails. It was a good 80. I can't be mad."

Seeing Mooney (16-3-1) for the first time since its 2006 D-III state final run, Wickliffe was outshot, 16-2, but did generate some occasional quality.

Senior Noah Telisman was denied on a right-footed strike nicely by Cardinals goalkeeper Aidan Markey in the fourth minute and also had a decent look in the 37th.

Mooney operated with width and loads of intent and found its account opener in the 20th minute.

Pregibon got a touch around the edge of the six and slotted a right-footed strike wide right.

The Blue Devils did very well all things considered to keep it 1-0 from there past the 60th, hoping for some counter brilliance through All-Ohio attacker Colin Casey and a senior-laden side.

But Mooney was tough to crack in the defensive third throughout, anchored by returning All-Ohio center back Dante DeGenova.

Pregibon iced the result from there, collecting Mason Janis service at the far post in the 65th and a near-post finish in the 70th. It was the junior's 14th and 15th goals of 2022.

"It's obvious all year — we've been a second-half team," Telisman said. "We came in here knowing that we're at regional now. All of these teams, everyone is good. You're not going to have teams that have a bad spot in their lineup.

"But I can't complain. We came out here and played the full 80, better than I have ever seen us play. And it was the best game. I'm glad I was a part of it."

Telisman was part of a similar narrative, in a sense, as that memorable 2006 side that made its state runner-up charge and, for all intents and purposes, put Wickliffe on the map in the sport in the process.

The backbone of that 2006 side was a group, Severino included, that played together all the way from rec soccer onward to the high-school level.

This 2022 side, which featuring a starting 11 at Boardman with eight seniors, also had a backbone that grew up together and got the program back to the D-III sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years.

Telisman hopes that message resonates within his town's confines for years to come.

"I just hope it shows that we can go far," Telisman said. "We're not a team, historically, that can go far.

"But if you start young and play with a bunch of guys you love, you can go far."

Added Severino: "The growth, in our rec program and our travel program, it is growing. And those guys in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, to just see this, they're seeing what it does and what it takes. These guys will run the summer camps and show those guys what it's all about.

"It's good. We want to get to a point where we're competing every year in Division III. It takes a lot of work from smaller schools, and that sets the tone. We'll see."