Mooney blanks Elyria Catholic

The Cardinals earned a berth in next week's state semifinal.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
CLEVELAND -- After a scoreless first half, senior forward Zack Hernan scored with 10 minutes remaining before freshman Nicola Frangopoulos put the game away in the last four minutes as Mooney High defeated Elyria Catholic, 2-0, in the Division III regional championship game Friday at Brush High School.
The victory vaulted Mooney (17-3-1) into the state semifinals against either Kidron Central Christian or Genoa Area.
Friday's match against the first-time opponent was on a fast artificial turf field.
The teams battled even for the first 40 minutes.
"It was hard-fought from the opening whistle," Mooney coach Lenny Krispinsky said. "This was a regional championship and both teams just battled tooth-and-nail."
Close call
Elyria Catholic nearly scored about halfway through the first half, but goalie Andrew Loudon made a successful stab at the shot.
"It was a tremendous save," Krispinsky said.
It was one of only two attempts by Elyria Catholic (17-1-3). Mooney had a 10-2 advantage in shots.
Hernan, a senior forward, put the Cardinals on the board after gathering a pass on the left side of Elyria Catholic's goal.
"He beat the last defender and turned and shot," Krispinsky said of Hernan's right-footed shot from near the goal's left post.
Ahead, 1-0, with time running out, Elyria Catholic pulled everyone up in a furious attempt to attack.
"They were going to try to tie with a few minutes left when Frangopoulos intercepted the ball near the 18-yard line and stayed with it," Krispinsky said. "Out of his defender's position, Frangopoulos took the ball, beat one defender and then beat the goalie one-on-one and that was that."
Strong defenders
Earning game balls for their defense were freshman midfielder Rob Fox, Frangopoulos and Kevin Miller.
Including Mooney's 4-0 win over Canton Central Catholic, the Cardinals went through the regional level with two shutouts.
Mooney won the state Division II championship in 2002, then lost in the regional title game to Chagrin Falls in 2003 before finishing state runner-up to Pataskala Watkins Memorial in an overtime game last season.
The Cardinals' three losses this season were to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Ursuline and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.