Defeat ... but upbeat

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
ALLIANCE -- The Poland High boys soccer season, which began with a 4-2 victory over Chagrin Falls, ended with a 3-1 loss to the Tigers in the Division II regional semifinals but few regrets for the Bulldogs.
"I couldn't have asked for a better end of the season," said senior midfielder Dain Malaniak, who scored Poland's second-half goal. "It was a lot of fun.
"A lot of people didn't think we'd make it this far and I even didn't think that we would make it this far," Malaniak said. "They came to play and we didn't step it up."
Poland finished 17-2-1. Chagrin Falls advanced with 13-3-4 record.
"Chagrin was a good team the first time we played them," Poland coach Chris LaBatte said. "They had some good chances in the first half and they put two of them away.
"When we played them the first time, we had four or five chances, and four of them went in," LaBatte said. "We maybe didn't play up to our potential [Tuesday], but the guys gave a great effort."
Early lead
Patrick Coleman and Matt Preyss scored goals in the first half and Coleman netted another five minutes into the second half for a 3-0 lead for the Tigers.
"In high school, it's hard to win two games in a row," Tigers coach Mario Gebhardt said. "We changed our defense -- Coleman was our sweeper but became our leading scorer."
Trailing 3-0, Poland responded three minutes later with Malaniak scoring to keep the Tigers within reach.
"We had a free kick by the sideline," Malaniak said. "It was a fast free kick and Matt Shurilla took it. I came to the backside of the goal where nobody really noticed me. [Shurilla] made the quick cross and I got in front of the goalie [Jeff Vayda] and put it into the net."
LaBatte felt the Bulldogs played much better in the second half.
"Today, I think maybe we put a little to much responsibility on the defense and the goalkeeper [senior Caleb Markusic]. The defense can only hold so long against a quality team. Chagrin is that -- they deserve to move on," LaBatte said.
"In a rematch, it's always harder the second time," LaBatte said. "Down 2-0 at the half, you've got to make adjustments, and we did. The boys offered a pretty dominant performance in the second half. We definitely had a lot more opportunities to score goals."
No excuses
LaBatte refused to use the slick field conditions as an excuse.
"We've been playing on this wet, muddy turf for several weeks," LaBatte said. "We've done pretty well in the mud. Last week against Lakeview was an unbelievable performance in five inches of mud."
LaBatte was referring to Poland's 1-0 victory over Lakeview in the district championship game.
"Today, maybe we did lose our footing a bit more than they did," LaBatte said. "They may have been a bit more stable in their footing."
LaBatte said winning 17 out of 20 games was a surprise.
"We actually weren't expecting anything," LaBatte said. "They've been close since grade school and they love each other a ton.
"This year, every game wasn't about a win. I think it was more about how these guys didn't want to let each other down. The results happened to come along with it.
"Only allowing eight goals in 19 games before today speaks a bit about their tenacity," LaBatte said.
LaBatte credited his defense for responding to the challenge after losing senior outside fullback Devin Keenan to injury early in the season.
Malaniak agreed.
"Losing Devin in the middle of the season really, really hurt. He was a big part of our defense. We had to find someone to fill in and [Kevin] Gargasz stepped it up," Malaniak said.
williams@vindy.com