AVON — The match was barely 30 minutes old when Avon star Megan Repas achieved a hat trick.
It happened at 7:36 p.m., and that’s significant. Her third goal of the game was the 82nd of Repas’ high school career and broke the school record set by Danni Irwin.
Repas wasn’t finished. She added another in the 68th minute. Devon Saini scored a goal of her own and the Eagles rolled over Elyria Catholic, 5-0 in a Division II sectional tournament final Thursday.
Avon (15-3) will host Lake Ridge in a district semifinal at 7 p.m. Monday. The Lions eliminated Cuyahoga Heights.
Repas has 24 goals for the season, placing her 17th on the statewide list. She said she has wanted to set the school record since she was a freshman.
“I came into my high school career saying I wanted to beat the record,” Repas said. “I told (former Eagles coach Brian Irwin), ‘I’m beating that record.’ It’s just a great feeling. I didn’t realize I had scored my third goal until the girls were yelling at me that I did. It’s been a lot of hard work and I’m glad I accomplished it.”
It was Avon’s second win over EC (8-9) this season. The Eagles pinned a 3-1 loss on the Panthers at Knights of Columbus Field in a season opener on Aug. 23.
Holly Kraus, Avon’s freshman goalkeeper, posted her eighth shutout of the season. Another nearly flawless job by the Eagles’ defense, and the fact that Avon dominated midfield, basically gave her the night off. She had to make just one save.
“They hustle their butts off to get to every ball,” Kraus said of defenders Katie DeMarco, Hannah Winger, Nicole Armstrong and Brianne Kistler. “I’m just there in case anything bad happens, and it usually never does. Our defense is just that great.”
In fact, thanks to the Eagles’ defensive strength, the Panthers didn’t get a shot off until the 27th minute. And their only shot on goal came on senior Michelle Clarke’s free kick in the 51st minute on the restart after an Avon foul. It was a tough loss for Clarke and the EC seniors.
“It was an up-and-down season that didn’t always go the way we wanted,” Clarke said. “There were some injuries, but everybody played tough. We adjusted. The seniors have had three coaches in four years and it’s been difficult to adjust to each style every year. But I had a great four years. I can’t believe it’s already over.”
The Panthers got a Herculean effort from junior keeper Megan Miehls, who must have felt she was in a shooting gallery. Miehls made 16 saves, few of them routine, as Avon got off 30 shots, 19 on goal. The Eagles shot five times in the first 12 minutes, all five on target. Their first six shots and seven of their first eight were on goal. 
In the 23rd minute, Miehls hit the ground to make a nice save, but the ball rolled over the goal line and Avon was awarded a corner kick. A wild scramble followed in the Panthers box and the Eagles got off three shots within seconds, one of them somehow saved by Miehls, before the EC defense cleared.
“Coming into the game I told our girls, ‘We have to be faster than them, more aggressive and it has to happen for 80 straight minutes,’” Avon coach Tony Demacchia said. “Our defense was nearly flawless. They marked tight and they did a wonderful job.”

GOALS: (A) Megan Repas 4 (minutes 12, 29, 32, 68), Devon Saini (minute 67).
ASSISTS: (A) Ali Fisher, Michelle Bruno, Megan Garner.
SHOTS: EC 6, Avon 30.
SHOTS ON GOAL: EC 1, Avon 19.
SAVES: (EC) Megan Miehls 16, (A) Holly Kraus 1.
CORNER KICKS: EC 1, Avon 5.
GOAL KICKS: EC11, Avon 2.
OFFSIDE: Avon 4.
FOULS: EC 9, Avon 6.
CARDS: None.
HALFTIME: Avon, 3-0.

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.