For the second straight season, the Keys to the Arsenal will remain in Ravenna, as the Raven boys’ soccer team bested neighborhood rival Ravenna Southeast 3-2 last Friday evening at Portage Community Bank Stadium.
“I think this speaks to the hard work that those young men put in the offseason, and it felt like things just absolutely clicked,” Coach Eric Hedge said. “We passed the ball around; we had senior leadership in Preston Hatcher who stepped up and scored two goals and it was a statement that this was a brotherhood and that they are willing to go to battle for each other.”
Since the 2020, the Keys to the Arsenal rivalry have tilted in the Ravens’ favor (1-0-0, 0-0-0), having only lost one match in five contests. After the Pirates captured a victory in 2023, Ravenna has won the last two meetings, making them two-for-two in the Eric Hedge era.
“We are neighbors for the most part, we are neighboring schools, and a lot of kids know each other, and it just gives us an opportunity to play something outside of our conference and that just gives us a little more motivation to go and have the Keys to the Arsenal,” the second-year coach noted.
On Friday, the Ravens controlled the match leading 2-1 until Southeast junior Cole Bruno scored an equalizer inside the 55th minute of regulation on a free kick from the right side of the field, knotting the score at 2-2.
It took the Ravens 10 minutes to assume the lead once again when senior forward Preston Hatcher delivered the go-ahead goal on a free kick from beyond the left corner of the box in the 65th minute of regulation, propelling Ravenna to a 3-2 advantage.
According to Hedge, Hatcher’s free kick could not have been placed any more perfectly.
“Preston is such a cerebral player, and he is always calculating,” he added. “I always joke with him and say I always feel you know your next six moves ahead. He is always six moves ahead of himself and he has really worked hard on free kicks and just developing his shot in general.”
Hedge said that the Pirates mounted a furious rally against Ravenna’s defense, generating several scoring opportunities but sophomore goalkeeper Johnny Adams kept Southeast out of the net. He also credited the Ravens’ defensive line for their stout performance especially in the final 14 minutes of play to preserve the lead.
“Southeast is a physical team, so the game definitely got more physical after we took the lead. That is what happens in this game, it is a game of beauty and also a game of grit,” Hedge noted. “Johnny is a first-year keeper who never played the position, so he is learning on the fly, so he really stepped up and made a couple of saves that kept us in the lead and our defense really buckled down.”
In addition to opening their season on a positive note, Hedge also was encouraged by the team’s offensive performance, as offense was hard to come by for Ravenna last year, scoring just three or more goals only once.
The Ravens took the advantage in the first half when junior forward Lucas Garey chased down a free kick from senior defender Jason Hawkins and beat his defender to score Ravenna’s first goal in the 13th minute of regulation.
Bruno evened the score on an unassisted goal in the 26th minute of play but the Ravens regained the lead when Hatcher delivered his first goal of the match on an unassisted play in the 30th minute of play, pushing the Ravens to a 2-1 advantage into the half.
The defenses stiffened in the second half but Ravenna withstood another game-tying goal from the Pirates as Hatcher delivered his second goal, fueling the Ravens to victory.
Although Ravenna only boasts three seniors on the roster, eight of the starting 11 return with significant varsity experience, including senior defender Jack Rainone and junior Terrill Strickland in the defensive third with Hatcher being moved to a more prominent scoring role.
Hedge said that the Ravens’ experienced starting line-up gives him optimism that they can create offense more naturally this year.
“I feel like being that they saw meaningful minutes last year, they know, and I feel like they finally showed what we were capable of as far as moving the ball and creating opportunities, so I think that gave them in a boost in their confidence,” he said.
After a road match against Metro Athletic Conference foe Norton on Tuesday and a road duel against Alliance on Thursday, the Ravens will stay on the road and face Carrollton in Carroll County on Saturday at 11 a.m.
