Norwayne boys heading to first state soccer championship game in school history

TWINSBURG − Fifteen minutes into the first half of a scoreless OHSAA Division V state semifinal match between Norwayne and Rootstown at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Norwayne set the ball into the box and forward/striker Erik Neruda was able to get a foot on it. A soft touch by Neruda was enough to get the ball over the Rootstown goalkeeper, who was coming off his lines, that rolled into the net. That goal was the first of five for Norwayne in the Bobcats' (17-4-1) 5-2 victory over Rootstown (17-3-2) in a match where they took a 3-0 lead into halftime. Neruda's goal was a demonstration of how effective the Bobcats were in playing long balls downfield or switching the play to their forwards, who were able to make quality runs off the ball to put pressure on the Rovers backline for scoring chances. More: Chippewa's defensive activity swarms Hiland, heading to third straight state final "We were moving the ball well. We knew their defense was a little weaker," Neruda said. "We like to make runs and get out wide because the space is usually out wide, so we knew we had to exploit that. We came in and watched film. Switch the ball quick, make those runs and catch them off guard." "First half we played well. They executed the gameplan," Norwayne head coach Jake Zimmerly said. "We attacked the outside and wanted to get to the space out there because we know they like to clog up the middle. Sintay [Maibach] was able to get a goal on the backside and Erik has been playing really good up top. He's able to play as a point man and sit up top and control the ball. We were able to play outside and back to the middle." Norwayne's forwards in Neruda, Sintay Maibach and Lysander Bauman kept outworking the Rootstown center backs and fullbacks in the second half. About five minutes in the half, Bauman received the ball wide on the left side and made a forwarding run where he squared it to midfielder Carter Beery, making a straight line run for the Bobcats fourth goal. Rootstown found a response in the next 10 minutes as the Rivers scored twice to cut the deficit to two goals. Then Norwayne found some cushion in the final 20 minutes when another ball up the field was sent into the box, as Neruda was making a run off the ball. Neruda fought off a Rootstown defender and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper for his second goal of the night and fifth for the Bobcats that sealed the match. "One of my strong suits in my game is that I body people off the ball," Neruda said. "I consider myself a strong player. Jaxson [Gasser] played the ball through. I fought him off the ball and sealed the game with that goal." "I knew we had the fire power to go against their backline. We saw some holes and places we could attack," Zimmerly said. "When they came at us in the first 15 minutes, we weathered the storm. The fifth goal was really important for us. It gave us an extra little boost. It definitely helped us out and gave us that cushion." For Norwayne, they will get the chance to play in the first boys soccer state title game in school history when they meet Milford Center Fairbanks − widely viewed as the No. 1 team in Division V − on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. in Columbus. Said Zimmerly, "We started 0-3-1. As the season progressed, the boys just kept working. Seniors stepped up and led. I hope they are proud of what they have done because it's not something many people get to do in their lifetime." "We had a slow start. It's monumental as a senior," Neruda said. "I wouldn't want it to end any other way. We have a great group of guys on this team with so much passion." jamessimpson@gannett.com Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII