Mentor vs. Solon girls soccer: Cardinals drop 1-0 road decision
Sep. 23—Laudably given its strength of schedule, the Mentor girls side does not make it easy on itself night after night — nor would the Cardinals want it any other way.
The issue Sept. 23 was not only were they facing a very good side on the opposite touchline at Solon, they were not making it easy on themselves either.
The attacking quality that was evident in the opening 40 did not carry over for the Cardinals, and neither did a result on the way back north.
Ella Ryan's strike for Solon approaching halftime dealt Mentor a 1-0 road defeat.
The Cardinals, ranked No. 2 in last week's News-Herald girls soccer Top of the Crop, are 7-5-1 on the year, while the Comets (6-3) are now 3-0 against News-Herald coverage area sides in 2023.
"They're a good team. We knew that coming in that it was going to be a battle either way," Mentor coach Ken Skilton said. "They beat Mayfield, who is an excellent team. So I knew it was going to be a real tough test. They have some excellent, outstanding players.
"I think sometimes, we talk about no one ever wins the game in the first half. It's going to be won in the second half. We've just got to take that next step and win it. The 50-50 balls, we talked about that at halftime. We didn't win enough of those first half. Typically through the season, it's something we've really focused on. They've done a great job with it. And (Solon was) winning those balls."
Mentor sought to spring striker Makenzie Stuckert and had promise in the opening 40 through midfielders Melissa Begovic and Nele Schuppe with good off-ball understanding and flow.
Set piece defending, though, took the match in a different direction for the visitors.
In the 32nd minute, Ryan was on the receiving end of a weighted free kick far post into the box. The senior striker, who caused issues throughout with her first touch and wide pace, was afforded a touch-and-turn left-footed effort that she slotted wide for a 1-0 lead.
After halftime, the Cardinals were unable to win much of anything in the middle of the park against an organized side in the Comets.
Really, Mentor's best look at an equalizer in the second 40 came in the final seconds. On a last-ditch free kick, with even standout goalkeeper Jill Medvecky up into the attack as well, the Cardinals tried to get into position for a touch. But it was not to be.
Skilton knows as well as anyone the kind of cards, no pun intended, his side is dealt with its schedule. Three days prior, Mentor fell, 2-0, at always formidable Medina, a more-than-respectable 80 but a result that did snap a four-match win streak.
The Cardinals hope their strength of schedule will serve them down the stretch as it tends to do.
"We just had Medina, the No. 1 team in the state, a few days ago, and we had several good opportunities," Skilton said. "Obviously, they had several good opportunities. We could have been right there, and we were right there with them most of the game.
"But playing in tight games, with the super district the way it is now, almost every game is going to be tight. We might have one game that's not super tight. Most of them are going to be really tight games, and playing that kind of competition is what we're trying to prepare for."
#NHsoccer My postmatch analysis of Mentor girls' 1-0 loss at Solon
(match story will be shared shortly) pic.twitter.com/WrWgo7IJNk
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) September 24, 2023
