Mooney-Lakeview soccer match postponed

By Ryan buck

rbuck @vindy.com

Steady rain and sloppy field conditions are only delaying the inevitable.

Cardinal Mooney and Lakeview need to ... have to ... meet in the Division II soccer tournament. After all, it’s only appropriate.

Their much-anticipated match in the Youngstown district’s sectional final was postponed until Monday once tournament officials deemed the field at Lakeview’s Don Richards Memorial Stadium to be unplayable. Two youth football games mangled the already wet and muddy turf.

A short-lived, yet already intense rivalry has been brewing between the top two boys soccer programs in the area for the past three seasons and it looks to certainly continue this week.

In 2011, the Bulldogs ended the Cardinals’ streak of 10 consecutive district titles when they humbled Mooney 3-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in Girard.

One year later Lakeview, this time the No. 1 seed in the district, edged Mooney 2-1 despite being out-shot and out-possessed for much of the game.

As of Saturday night, the game’s location was not officially named. It is a solid bet, however, that Lakeview (13-1-2) will look to host another tournament game at Arrowhead Stadium.

After facing a daunting regular season schedule, Mooney comes into the contest with a 6-9-2 record.