Kiki Willis' two goals lead Mooney into regional final

Mooney blanked Alliance, 2-0, and will play Chagrin Falls Saturday.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;By BRIAN RICHESSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
RAVENNA -- Graduating nine seniors will change the complexion of any team.
"This year's team is less emotional and more businesslike," said Cardinal Mooney High boys soccer coach Lenny Krispinsky, comparing his current players to his 2002 state champions.
"There's no peaks and valleys to the way they approach a game or a season," Krispinsky said. "It's like ice water through their veins."
Decisive factor
Despite those changes, there is one glaring similarity that binds Mooney to its 2002 predecessors and forces its opponents to account for.
The Kiki Willis factor.
Mooney's junior forward is one of the state's most potent point producers. His quick-strike capability -- combined with his teammates' ability to get him the ball -- is the reason Mooney finds itself on course to defend its state championship.
The Cardinals took another step forward Tuesday when they introduced Alliance to the Kiki Willis factor, producing a 2-0 victory in the Division II regional semifinals at Ravenna Stadium.
"What can you say about the kid?" Krispinsky said. "He's a go-to guy."
Willis scored both goals in the second half to help offset another slow start by the Cardinals (19-0-1).
"The field conditions were the worst part of it," said Willis of Ravenna's artificial surface that became slick with a steady drizzle. "We weren't used to that fast-paced game, and it caught us off guard a little bit."
Scoring plateau
In the process of scoring twice, Willis reached the 50-goal mark for the season.
"It's been a long season," Willis said. "Those goals don't come easy. There's always an obstacle in getting those goals. It's hard to achieve something that great."
After numerous chances that he couldn't convert in the first half, Willis took it upon himself against an Alliance team (10-6-4) playing in the regional for the first time.
His first goal came with 29 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the game. Six minutes prior, Willis was shaking off a minor leg injury he suffered while attacking the goal.
Think Krispinsky was set to pull Willis in a scoreless game?
"Unless there's bone showing," Krispinsky said, "I will not take him out."
Willis settled a pass from junior Christo Frangopoulos 45 yards from Alliance's goal and then surged in that direction.
It took only seconds for Willis, with his strong right foot, to blast the ball into the net for what would stand up as the game-winner.
"He came up big for us when we needed him most," Frangopoulos said.
Pinpoint accuracy
Willis' 50th goal came in dramatic fashion -- after a quick conversation with Frangopoulos as the two were standing over the ball prior to a direct free kick 25 yards out.
"At first I wasn't going to shoot it. I was going to let Christo take it," Willis said. "But he told me where to put it, so I just listened to the team captain -- and I put it in."
Even with Alliance's sizable wall 10 yards in front of him, Willis squeezed his shot to the right of it and past goalie Dan Hisey.
It was a goal that -- combined with junior goalie Jeff Seddon's ninth shutout -- ensured Mooney's victory and its regional final match-up Saturday at Ravenna against Chagrin Falls, a 2-1 shoot-out winner over Walsh Jesuit.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;richesson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;