By Shawn Ellwood
CORTLAND OH- Poland put on a dominant showing in Tuesday’s Battle of the Bulldogs, heading home with a 5-0 win over NE8-foe Lakeview to remain unbeaten in conference play.
It was a back-and-forth physical battle early on, with both offenses finding opportunities to strike, but it would be the visiting Bulldogs who would be able to capitalize on their openings. Salvi Carramusa would break the ice, sending a perfectly-placed pass into the bottom corner of the net to get Poland on the board first.
But it would be the night of senior captain Michael Hostal who would record the hat-trick, three goals on the night, including a highlight-reel bicycle kick to cap it off, as Poland began to pull away. Logan Slifka would add a late goal to truly seal the game, while goalkeeper Logan Ramsey would record his fourth clean sheet of the season.
With the win, Poland improves to 5-1 (3-0 NE8) and is now on a 5-game win streak, hoping to keep their momentum rolling into Thursday as the Bulldogs get set for a meeting with their archrivals, the Canfield Cardinals, in this year’s installment of the Battle of 224.
Lakeview falls to 1-2-2 (1-1-1 NE8) and will look to rebound on Thursday as they head to YSU for a matchup with the Ursuline Irish.