To stay atop the OHSL Liberty division standings, the Marcellus girls soccer team had to face down two local foes in a span of less than 48 hours.
First, the Mustangs visited Solvay Tuesday night at Earl Hadley Stadium and put together an impressive overall effort to shut out the Bearcats 4-0.
This was the first time Marcellus and Solvay had played since last October’s Section III Class B quarterfinal where the Bearcats had stunned the Mustangs 1-0.
Remembering that pain, and wanting a small bit of revenge, Marcellus played into the wind in the first half and had to wait until the 31st minute to get the first goal, Kathryn
Busa doing the honors off a perfect feed from Brielle Fitch.
Then, with the wind advantage in the second half, the Mustangs pulled clear, Jessie Nye taking the most active role as she got one goal and assisted on two others — one by Fitch, the other by Elizabeth Zimmer. Overall, the Mustangs took 24 shots to the Bearcats’ eight.
Then came the first of two showdowns with long-time rival Westhill, and like so many other games between these two sides, it proved close and tense before the Mustangs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Warriors.
Marcellus inched ahead, 1-0, by halftime, and though Molly Kiggins put Westhill on the board in the second half (Grace Powers earning the assist), the Mustangs converted, too, and clung to that slim margin.
Busa and Molly MacLachlan earned the goals for Marcellus, with Nye and Nicole Dorio earning assists. The Mustangs had 14 shots, and each of Sophie Jackson’s eight saves would prove important.
