Olmsted Falls has yet to produce a fast start that is up to the championship standard it achieved in 2024.
On April 29, Bulldogs Coach Josh Piepenburg thought his team took steps in the right direction, as they handily defeated Padua, 17-5.
“It was good to see (the fast start), but it was about dang time,” he said. “It has been the expectation all year. We have fallen short of that. Over the past two games, Ottawa Hills was really a wake-up call for us. We realized that we are halfway through the season and we have not played a really good game yet. We have had some good wins that had us lopsided on the scoreboard, but we have not been playing to our potential, up until the last two games.”
Olmsted Falls improved to 7-7 and won its second consecutive game. It defeated Walsh Jesuit, 10-9, in three days prior.
“In some of the games, we have been starting off slow. We were ready to go out there and get a fast start,” Olmsted Falls attacker Jake Bill said.
In that overtime game, Aidan Toth scored the game-winning goal. His heroics followed with a hat-trick in the first quarter to lead 5-0 at the start of the second. He finished the game with six goals and two assists.
“He plays attack and he has been behind three phenomenal attackmen in front of him,” Piepenburg said. “He has been waiting for his number to be called. For this season, it just so happened. We have been trying to find a way to get him on the field. The kid has a knack for the game and puts the ball in the back of the net.”
According to Toth, three goals in a quarter is a first for him and he was happy to contribute to the team’s win.
“It was fun and lacrosse is awesome. To do it with the team and have the energy that we had was great,” he said.
Toth was also followed by Jake Bill, who scored his own hat trick, with three assists. Two of his assists went to Toth.
“Me and Aidan have been playing for a while, ever since third and fourth grade. We have that connection down. It makes (playing) easy for us,” Bill said.
Though Toth and Bill dominated the stat sheet, Piepenburg made sure to credit his teammates that helped put them in positions to succeed.
“I think the most important thing to realize is that they are one part of six,” he said. “They may be putting the ball in the net. It’s (Jameson Demarco) working the backside, (Jonathan) Blevins dodging from the middie and Bryce (Gulliford) diving through. It is a team effort. That is the most important thing.”
Olmsted Falls dominated most of the game with possession, which was a result of the Bulldogs winning face-offs and ground-balls. Parker Link led the charge to win 17 of his 24 face-offs.
“(Face-offs) has been a point of emphasis this year, especially losing someone like Rocco Conti,” Piepenburg said. “You go from winning 80% (of face-offs) to maybe 45%. That is a tough drop off. That means possessions are much more important.”
The Bulldogs wrapped up its season in the Northern Ohio Lacrosse League and will dedicate the rest of the regular season to prepare for its Division II state championship defense.
“It’s going to be a tough battle and we are preparing for that. We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Piepenburg said.
THE SCORE
Olmsted Falls 18, Padua 5
![The final horn had to be loud on May 16, because the way the crowd inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was screaming with 3.3 seconds left in Game 1 between the Monsters and Crunch, it would have been impossible to hear otherwise. The Monsters were protecting a 1-0 lead. The Crunch had long since pulled their goalie in favor of a sixth attacker. In fact, Monsters left wing Stefan Matteau was sent to the penalty box for slashing with 2:09 left, which meant for all but the final six seconds the Monsters had were at a 4-on-6 disadvantage at the end. […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/TNH-L-Monsters-0516-45-1.jpg?w=510 "The final horn had to be loud on May 16, because the way the crowd inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was screaming with 3.3 seconds left in Game 1 between the Monsters and Crunch, it would have been impossible to hear otherwise. The Monsters were protecting a 1-0 lead. The Crunch had long since pulled their goalie in favor of a sixth attacker. In fact, Monsters left wing Stefan Matteau was sent to the penalty box for slashing with 2:09 left, which meant for all but the final six seconds the Monsters had were at a 4-on-6 disadvantage at the end. […]")
