BOYS SOCCER Mooney reaches final four

The Cardinals beat Walsh Jesuit 2-0 in the Division II regional championship game.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
RAVENNA -- It seemed an odd location to celebrate an important milestone, but Lenny Krispinsky wasn't complaining.
Shortly after the Cardinal Mooney boys soccer team blanked Walsh Jesuit 2-0 in the Division II regional championship game Saturday at Ravenna High School, Krispinsky was informed he had just won his 100th career victory coaching the Cardinals.
Unfazed by the personal achievement, Krispinsky spoke about the dedication his team showed in their first practice nearly five months ago.
"I didn't even know I was close to 100," said Krispinsky (100-84-18). "I don't care. I reminded them at our meeting that we've been working since June 9 in conditioning. This team has been together since and this is where we ended up."
Meet Granville next
Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Mansfield, Mooney (19-2) will play Granville (18-1-2) in a state semifinal. Granville beat Elida 1-0 for a regional final.
A low scoring game was expected from Mooney and Walsh (12-3-5), which played in the last two Div. II state title games.
Mooney senior goalie Tim Reigrut entered the game with 12 shutouts this year and 22 in his career -- both school records. Warrior senior goalie Adam Sleyzak countered with 11 shutouts this fall and had a school-record 27 in his four-year career.
Sleyzak's skein ended with 14 minutes left in the first half when Mooney senior forward Pat Walker worked into the box where a Warrior was called for a handball.
That violation put sophomore Kiki Willis 12 yards out on a penalty-kick try. Willis drilled the ball for his 37th goal of the season and a 1-0 game at the break.
"As I was going up to the ball I acted as though I was kicking it to the left," Willis said. "Then I faked. The last moment I saw him dive and I shot it to the right."
Cardinals defense outstanding
Walsh coach John Kissner said, "They were sitting back and just attacking with a few number of players. That's all they needed to do. When you have a guy like Kiki, that's all you really need.
"They pretty much congested things in the back; they denied us any good opportunities to score and that was the difference in the game."
Mooney took just two shots in the second half, but Willis put the game away with a 10-yard score with 7 minutes to go. The play began when junior Christo Frangopoulos won a ball at midfield and got it to D.J. Myers on the wing. Myers centered the ball to Willis, who was well marked in the middle.
"I didn't even know if I was going to get to it," said Willis. "I just stuck my leg out, the ball stopped, and bam I placed it in the back of the net. It was a perfect pass."
Reigrut praised the defenders who held Walsh to just one shot at the break and few good looks after that.