Even a 1-1 draw with Tully on Sept. 23, the first blemish it had taken this fall, did not keep the Bishop Grimes girls soccer team from staying atop the state Class C rankings.
And with that test behind them, the Cobras went back to rolling through opponents, none more impressive than last Saturday’s showdown with Christian Brothers Academy at Alibrandi Stadium, where it would make another big statement, beating the Brothers 2-0 for its fourth straight shutout.
In order to stay undefeated and go to 11-0-1, Grimes had to prove, early, that it could match athleticism and aggression with CBA, which it did in the most spectacular way possible.
Before the Brothers’ defense could even get settled, the Cobras had a two-goal advantage, with both Kennedy Yearby and Julia Freeman finding the net on their initial shots of the game. It was Yearby’s 20th goal of the season, and Freeman’s 12th.
From there, CBA’s defense kept Grimes from adding to that lead, but it didn’t catch up, either. A tough, consistent Cobras back line, anchored by senior captain Teresa Shattuck and Katy McInerney, broke up possible runs.
And when the Brothers did get shots, Jillian Firenze grabbed all of them, finishing with nine saves, four more than CBA counterpart Catherine Burns.
Right after Tully, Grimes had put together its 4-0 shutout of Manlius-Pebble Hill on Sept. 27 and stayed hots with its trip to the CNY Sports Centre on Jones Road to face Faith Heritage last Tuesday afternoon, which resulted in a 7-0 romp over the Saints.
Not only did Grimes race to a 4-0 halftime lead and continue to assert itself, it continued to show of its three-pronged attack, anchored again by Kennedy Yearby, who scored twice and added a pair of assists.
Jordan Sloan emerged as a force, earning two goals and one assist, while Julia Freeman also found the net twice. Jillian Firenze picked up the other goal, the Cobras taking 24 shots to the Saints’ five.
Grimes handled Tyburn Academy Thursday in a similar manner, winning 9-0 and seeing Yearby have her most lucrative effort of the season, pouring in four goals. Sloan and Freeman each found the net twice, with Maria Naylor getting the other goal.
Manlius-Pebble Hill’s girls team lost a tough 1-0 overtime decision to Bishop Ludden last Monday.
Through 80 minutes of regulation, Ludden enjoyed most of the possession time, but found it difficult to break through against a stingy Trojans defense anchored by goalie Leandrah Shelmidine, who recorded 12 saves.
Meanwhile, Ludden’s defense was strong, too, and Kara Beamish’s six-save effort was rewarded in the first of two 10-minute extra periods when Kellie Byrne, taking a pass from Morgan Beamish, slipped a shot past Shelmidine that proved to be the game-winner.
It wasn’t as close Friday, when the Trojans lost to unbeaten, state Class C no. 8-ranked Tully 6-0. Shelmidine picked up 10 saves this time around, but the Black Knights pulled away from a 2-0 halftime advantage behind the likes of Jessica Donald, who led the way with two goals and one assist.
By contrast, MPH’s boys team, who had returned to the state Class C rankings, completed a regular-season sweep of long-time rival Faith Heritage last Monday afternoon, blanking the Saints by a 3-0 margin.
Gaining a 2-0 lead by halftime, the Trojans never got caught, seeing Gerrit Church, with one goal and one assist, lead a well-balanced attack where Luke McQueeney and Phil Kim also scored. Ryley Amond added an assist and also played in the net, recording three saves.
Bishop Grimes’ boys soccer team took a 3-1 defeat to Tully last Monday, getting its lone goal from Dan Ostaszewski in the second half, but only after the Black Knights had grabbed an early 2-0 lead. Jack Rotondo had eight saves as David Johnson led Tully, scoring twice.
Then the Cobras tied defending Class C champion Fabius-Pompey 1-1 on Friday, getting an unassisted goal from William Hahn in the first half, but seeing the Falcons tie it with Billy Heseldan’s second-half tally. Neither side could break the tie in 20 minutes of overtime, with Rotondo making 10 saves on this occasion.
