Lake’s Travis Merrill looks to weave past multiple Genoa defenders in Monday’s district semifinal. (Nicholas Huenefeld | Sentinel-Tribune)
By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
MILLBURY — Delfino Garcia’s 30-yard strike in the first half turned out to be the game-winning goal on Monday as the Lake boys soccer team produced a 3-0 win over Genoa in a Division IV district semifinal inside Lake Community Stadium.
With the win, the Flyers (14-2-2) will face Port Clinton (9-7-1) on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the district title game. It will be Lake’s seventh straight matchup on their home turf, including the third of the postseason.
“I think everybody played well tonight,” Garcia said. “There’s really not that much to it. We want that district championship.”
Thursday’s meeting will be a rematch of Lake’s previous district title game appearance, which came in 2012. The Flyers, with a victory, would make the program’s first regional appearance since 2008.
Lake had four of the game’s first five shots over the first 15 minutes on Monday, highlighted by a pair of off-frame looks from Mason Sneed.
The one look for Genoa (5-13) during that stretch came from Jayden Kutchenriter with 26:10 left, but Lake’s Mitchell Maguire made a diving save to his left to keep it a scoreless game.
Garcia then struck a 30-yard shot from a few yards to the right of the right hashmark on the turf field, lofting it over Genoa’s goalkeeper, Joey Caughorn, for a 1-0 lead.
It was his fourth goal of the year.
“I was shocked that I made it,” Garcia said. “I thought it was a little over, but it was a perfect shot in the top right.”
Travis Merrill, who broke Lake’s single-season goals scored record in the team’s previous game, came through defensively a short time later, maintaining a 1-0 lead with 21:25 left by clearing a dangerous loose ball situation in front of the net.
Over the final 20 minutes of the half, Lake out-shot Genoa 3-1 via Greyson Reed’s high header off a corner with 19:56 left, Evan Barta’s on-frame look in the 25th minute and Andrew Solomon’s high shot with eight minutes left.
“We started out a little slow, but picked it up in the second half,” Lake coach Brian Reed said. “I’m not really sure what’s going on, but hopefully we figure it out before the next game.
“I have a couple guys who are sick right now, so I think that played into it a little bit. Plus the rivalry plays into it. I knew they were going to play hard. It’s potentially our last game and their last game. You’re going to get the best of everybody hopefully.”
The second half featured eight total shots, although Genoa’s one look nearly tied the game with 33:30 remaining, but Maguire dove to his right to save it.
Merrill broke through on his first of four shots in the second half, beating Caughorn for a two-goal lead with 22:49 left. It was his 31st tally of the season.
After his first two looks went awry in the first half, Sneed added two more off-frame looks early in the second half, but he made his last shot count, delivering Lake’s final goal with 12:26 left on an assist from Solomon.
It was Sneed’s ninth goal of the season.
The Flyers had 15 shots with eight on goal compared to three and two, respectively, for Genoa. It was Lake’s second shutout of the postseason.
“Our defense has been phenomenal,” Garcia said. “They gave it their all.”
