Given the presence of contenders like Holland Patent, Lowville and Clinton, it seemed far from certain that the Westhill and Marcellus girls soccer teams will have a post-season reunion.
But then the Section III Class B playoff brackets came out – and the Mustangs were the no. 4 seed and the Warriors the no. 5 seed, meaning that, if Marcellus beats no. 13 seed Solvay and Westhill gets past no. 12 seed Homer, they will indeed have a second encounter in the sectional quarterfinals.
At the time it was played, the 1-1 draw the Warriors and Mustangs shared on Oct. 5 shed no light on which side had the advantage should they clash again.
Following up from that game, Marcellus faced Solvay last Tuesday and, in what amounted to a playoff preview, blanked the Bearcats 4-0, with Anna Vetsch getting two of the Mustangs’ goals.
The others went to Emma Garn and Sara Mielnicki as Emma Hucthings contributed an assist and Kendall Koloski earned the shutout, recording 12 saves. Solvay goalie Haley Muehl kept it within range, earning 25 saves.
Facing a far more difficult game that night, Westhill hosted Skaneateles, but amid a tense exchange late in the contest, the Warriors emerged with a 2-1 victory over the Lakers.
They played through a scoreless first half, yet when Grace Dower put Skaneateles on the board, Westhill countered with Erica Gangemi leading the way.
Not only did Gangemi earn a goal, she assisted on Ciarra Rudnick’s tally as Brooke Zollo assisted on Gangemi’s goal. Each of the eight saves earned by Lauren Bendall proved important.
Now, to end the week, both Marcellus and Westhill would face Cazenovia. The Mustangs went first on Thursday, and with the OHSL Liberty National division regular-season title at stake, the Mustangs pulled out a 2-1 win over the Lakers.
For 78-plus minutes, neither side could get on the board, despite a rash of opportunities. Then, with 1:45 left in regulation, a free kick by Samantha Wynne found Vetsch, who beat Cazenovia netminder Tessa Hansknecht for the go-ahead goal.
Stunned by this, Cazenovia committed a foul inside the 18-yard box 25 seconds later, with Sarah Hutchings converting the penalty kick. That proved important when Maddy Gavitt scored with 40 seconds left to pull the Lakers within one, but Marcellus held on.
As a follow-up, Marcellus played a possible playoff opponent, Lowville, to a 2-2 draw on Saturday, the goals coming from Hutchings and Vetsch as Hannah Freeman and Caroline St. Croix scored for the Red Raiders.
Westhill, when it got its turn against Cazenovia, won big, 5-1, on Saturday, clinching the OHSL Liberty American division title by bolting to a 3-0 halftime lead. Gangemi, Rudnick, Caron and Ashley Bolesh each took turns putting in goals.
This followed the Warriors’ 4-1 win over Phoenix where a three-goal first half put Westhil well out in front. Zollo, (one goal and one assist) and Rudnick (two assists) led a well-balanced, 24-shot attack as Rudnick, Gangemi and Caron also converted.
