DIVISION I BOYS SOCCER Wind and opponent too much for Fitch

Green barged into a 3-0 lead in the first 15 minutes, and went on to a 5-1 triumph to gain the regional.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GREEN -- Strong winds and an even stronger Green High soccer team blew away Austintown Fitch's chances for a district championship.
The Falcons (12-6-1) fell behind 3-0 in the first 15 minutes of play and couldn't overcome the Bulldogs or the severe weather conditions, eventually losing 5-1 in the Division I boys soccer district championship game.
With winds blowing in excess of 50 miles per hour at times, Green used its speed on the slick field to race past Falcon defenders and score the early goals.
Mistakes: Falcon coach Rigo Castillo didn't blame the weather, but said his team's mental mistakes let Green get off to a good start.
"We needed to play good with no mistakes and we make three mental mistakes in the first 15 minutes," Castillo said. "Unfortunately, they made us pay for it. Good teams like that don't let you off the hook."
Last year, Fitch defeated Green to capture the district championship, and that was on the mind of the Green players, said Bulldog coach Renato D'Agruma.
Won earlier: "Our players were aware of last year," D'Agruma said. "And we knew that we had beaten them earlier this year [4-0], so we knew what we were up against."
Green's fast start didn't come as a surprise, D'Agruma said.
"That's how we play all the time," he said. "We get out to a fast start and then we can control the game a little bit."
D'Agruma said that the wind wasn't beneficial to either team so it was important that his team took advantage of their first half opportunities.
Early lead: Green's Andrew Wellock scored the first goal on an assist from Bobby Girton less than two minutes into the game for a 1-0 lead.
Then, with 26:34 remaining, sophomore David Lough scored the first of his back-to-back goals to give Green a 3-0 lead.
The Falcons settled down and played good soccer the rest of the first half and the start of the second half.
Fitch cut the lead to 3-1 at the 25:44 mark of the second half, when Ryan Puskas scored on an assist from Alex Castillo.
"I thought we were back in it at that point," said Rigo Castillo.
Blunted: But any Fitch momentum was thwarted minutes later, when Girton drilled a 40-yard kick into the back of the net for a 4-1 lead.
Green (13-3-3) tacked on a goal by Wellock with 13:01 remaining.
The Bulldogs shut down Fitch's Sam Camens, the team's leading scorer and district player of the year.
"We always try to find out the other team's best player and match him up," D'Agruma said. "Tonight we found a good match-up."
Castillo said his team didn't play with the same intensity that they did Monday in defeating North Canton Hoover.
"The team effort in the last game was much better," Castillo said. "Unfortunately we didn't have it tonight when we needed it."