ROMM PHOTOGRAPHY

Coventry senior midfielder Eric Ashley scored two goals Tuesday to help the Comets top Springfield and clinch a share of the PTC Metro soccer title.

COVENTRY TWP., Ohio – The Coventry Comets boys soccer team will take at least a share of the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division title into sectional tournament play beginning next week.

The Comets (9-2-3, 6-1) made it official with a 9-2 trouncing of visiting Springfield (3-11-1, 0-7) on Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium.

“People used to just overlook us,” senior captain Eric Ashley said. “We wanted to make a name for the soccer program at Coventry and that helped push us toward our goal of winning the PTC.”

Sophomore Casey Prater had three goals and Ashley two in the win over the Spartans.

“We had to come out strong, just in case they were coming after us,” senior captain Josh Merritt said.

The Comets finish the regular season Thursday with Senior Night against Garrettsville Garfield and Saturday at Archbishop Hoban.

“We’ve earned this for sure,” senior captain James Bergmann said. “We’ve all put in the time and the sweat.

“Hard work definitely pays off.  Soccer is our lives and it definitely shows out on the field.”

Ashley, Bergmann, Merritt and senior goalkeeper Matt Sacher are the squad’s four leaders.

“All four of us have worked for this since our freshman year,” Ashley said. “We came close our sophomore year (to winning the PTC Metro) and that actually motivated us even more.”

The No. 4 seed Comets will host either Fairless or Orrville on Thursday, Oct. 20, in a sectional championship match.

Coventry coach Kiel Cox is not going to allow his team to be satisfied.

“We’re not done yet,” he said. “This is one of the goals that we set, but it’s not our only goal. We know our district is wide open.

“I just challenge them every day. It starts at the top having a player like Eric (Ashley) who is not satisfied. His hunger and his focus are contagious.”

Ashley has 27 goals on the season and is being recruited by Ashland University and the University of Findlay.

Dejan Vucen and Eric Kennedy each scored for the Spartans.

In other matches:

MEDINA 6, MENTOR 0. At Mentor, the Bees won the Northeast Ohio Conference title behind two-goal performances from senior Gareth Evison and junior Nick Bavaro.

Sophomore Brandon Hough and senior Andrew Kemer each scored for Medina (9-1-6, 3-0-2), which outshot Mentor 12-1.

Mentor (7-9-0, 1-4-0) got six saves from Matt Markiewicz and Brad Sackett.

Medina’s Dean McNeil was required to make one save for the Bees.

HUDSON 6, TWINSBURG 1. At Twinsburg, junior Mark Dunlap scored two goals and the Explorers (7-7-1) posted a big NOC road win over the Tigers.

Alberto Marchi, Keith Cartwright, Randall Berkley and Bryan Burrows also scored for Hudson.

Junior Jacob Krieger tallied for Twinsburg (8-3-4).

MAYFIELD 2, BRUNSWICK 0.  At Mayfield, sophomore midfielder scored two first-half goals to lead the Wildcats (12-1-2, 3-1-1) over the Blue Devils (6-7-2, 2-2-1) in the NOC River Division match.

Senior goalkeeper Zak Petrenko had a career-best 17 saves in goal for Brunswick.

NORTH ROYALTON 3, STOW-MUNROE FALLS 1. Evan Wypasek, Jacob Lagania and Valentin Garkov scored for North Royalton in the win over the Bulldogs.

Rob Anderson scored Stow’s goal.

COPLEY 5, TALLMADGE 1. At Copley Twp., freshman Skye Harter scored three times to lead the Indians (10-2-4, 6-1-0). Senior Yousef Mubarek and junior Forest Galloway also scored for Copley.

Jake Barlow scored for Tallmadge.

HIGHLAND 4, WADSWORTH 1. At Granger, Twp., junior Jeff Hall scored two goals, and junior Adam Holowecky and senior Brandon Poling scored one apiece for the Hornets (6-6-3, 4-3-0).

Wadsworth (5-7-2, 2-4-0) got its goal from Luis Escudero.

FIELD 3, KENT ROOSEVELT 1. At Kent, junior Stevie Fosnight scored two goals to lead the Falcons (11-2-3, 5-1-1.)

Senior George Wischt (17 goals) also scored for Field. Sophomore Noah Culbertson added an assist for Field.

Roosevelt’s goal was scored by Colton Long.

AKRON GARFIELD 1, NORTHWEST 0. At Canal Fulton, junior Senned Judeh scored the lone goal for the Golden Rams (7-4-0).