PREP SOCCER Fitch girls defeat Hoover for crown

The 5-2 win brought the Falcons their first-ever Division I district title.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
AUSTINTOWN -- The Austintown Fitch High girls soccer team defeated North Canton Hoover 5-2 Saturday night to win its first-ever Division I district title.
The Falcons (13-4-2) will play in the Ravenna regional at 7 p.m. on Wednesday against the winner of the University Heights district.
Jodi Bowlen followed her five-goal performance against Canfield in the district semifinal with a hat trick, while Kelly Croysdale added two goals. Both had an assist, as did Sarah Vaughn and Dina Harris.
Falcons open see-saw battle
Fitch opened the scoring in the 15th minute as Croysdale found the net after a scramble in front of the Vikings' goal.
Just two minutes later, Hoover (12-4-4) tied the contest on a direct free kick by Amanda Waltz, a lined shot just under the crossbar.
The Falcons answered as Vaughn outraced the Hoover goalie to the ball on the left side and passed to Bowlen, who scored to give Fitch a 2-1 lead midway through the half.
The Vikings came back again to tie the game off a corner kick, with a goal by Jillian Martin.
The momentum of the game turned to the Falcons when Bowlen scored while inside the box to give Fitch the lead, 3-2, with only seven seconds to play in the half.
"We knew if we pressured them, we could get scoring chances. They [Hoover] are very good at corner kicks and direct kicks. We tried to limit their chances," said Fitch coach Carlo Trafficante.
The second half started like the first, with the play being in the Hoover end, as Fitch continued its attack.
Falcons open lead
In the sixth minute of play, Harris dropped a pass back to Croysdale, who hit a high shot just over the jumping Viking goalie for the Falcons' fourth goal.
Bowlen scored the final goal and her 23rd on the season with just under 11 minutes to go as she blasted a shot just under the crossbar from about 10 yards out.
"Jodi is an exceptional player. She is only a sophomore, but she does not let all of this get to her head. She only wants our team to win," Trafficante said.
Falcons dominate
Fitch dominated the action all night as it outshot the Vikings 38-7. Hoover goalkeeper Ashley Muffet had 23 saves, while Kristi Brendlinger of Fitch had five saves.
"They have worked hard, sacrificing this season, putting in the time to reach this point," Trafficante said of his team. "We have gotten a lot better than when we played Hoover earlier this year [0-0 tie].
"We knew what to expect, and what we needed to do to get ready to play, physically, mentally, and emotionally."
Erica Bortmas, who was injured in the game against Canfield, joined her teammates on the sidelines for the game.