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Revere ends Hubbard’s state dream
Eagles couldn’t hold lead against state power
By Steve Ruman
NILES
Following Saturday’s Division II regional final between Richfield Revere and Hubbard, Eagles coach Cory Reinard didn’t want to lament on the one loss his team suffered this year.
Rather, he chose to focus on the 19 wins, the district championship and the record-breaking season enjoyed by his team.
Hubbard’s dream season came to an end at Bo Rein Stadium in a 2-1 loss to the Minutemen. The Eagles bow out of the tournament with a 19-1-1 record.
Revere (16-2-3) will advance to the state semifinals for a second time in three years. In 2016, the Minutemen advanced to the state title game before falling to Kettering Archbishop Alter.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with this group of players, they made history, they surpassed all of their goals, they went above and beyond all of our expectations,” Reinard said. “I just told this team that they need to be proud of all their accomplishments. Don’t let this one loss define the season.”
“They are hurting right now. It’s tough to go this far then bow out, but in the weeks and years to come they’ll look back and they will be able to enjoy and appreciate just how special a season this was.”
The difference in Saturday’s game proved to be a goal scored by Revere senior Sam Webster on a direct free kick three minutes into the second half.
“I was a little nervous because I knew that this was the type of game where one more goal might make the difference,” Webster said. “We practice that scenario all the time. Practice does really pay off.”
Webster said he was confident his shot would find the net as soon as it left his foot.
“I’ve taken a lot of those kicks over the past few seasons,” Webster said. “I can usually tell right away whether or not it’s going to be successful. I felt pretty good about this one. It was a great feeling because we’ve worked for this moment since June.”
Hubbard struck first with 14:31 showing on the first-half clock on an Anthony Gagliardi goal. The 1-0 Eagles lead marked the first time Revere found itself trailing in its five tournament games.
“As we expected, Hubbard came out very aggressive, they are a strong, attacking team and they countered very quickly,” Revere coach Nick DePomei said. “It was important that we shake off that goal and respond quickly.”
Respond they did. Less than three minutes after Hubbard took the lead, Revere answered with a Joey Klein goal that knotted the game at 1-1. Things remained tied until Webster’s second-half boot.
“We continued to talk through things, and [Webster] did a really nice job with that free kick,” DePompie said. “We work hard on the set pieces. Our guys did a great job of taking advantage of what was given to them.”
Hubbard senior captain Michael VanSuch said that being a part of Hubbard’s first trip to the regional will help ease the pain of Saturday’s setback.
“We went through the regular season undefeated, we had our doubters all year long and no one expected us to go this far,” VanSuch said. “I’m super proud of what we did for our city and our school. It was a great experience.
“We had our opportunities today, we just couldn’t finish.”
For Revere, a return trip to the state tournament means a shot at redemption.
“Every year we shoot for the state’s final four,” DePompie said. “It’s such a tough road, so to get back again is quite an accomplishment for these boys. This was a total team effort from the starters to all the bench players. Now we want to finish the job.”
Revere will play Bay Village Bay in a state semifinal game Wednesday at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined today by the Ohio High School Athletic Association