Hitting the midway point of the regular season, the Westhill girls soccer team has weathered a tough early slate and may be poised for an October move.
First, though, the Warriors needed a flawlessly executed corner kick late in regulation to register a 2-1 victory over Solvay Monday at a rain-soaked Earl Hadley Stadium.
That win climbed Westhill back to the .500 mark (4-4), though it took a lot of patience to put the Bearcats away.
Just 2:52 into the game, the Warriors earned a free kick from 25 yards out. Kelly Ristoff’s hard shot glanced off a Solvay defender and tumbled into the net.
That proved to be the only goal of an evenly played first half. Both sides made a series of runs, with the Bearcats applying a lot of pressure at times, but not able to even it up.
Solvay’s fortune changed just 2:27 into the second half. When Westhill goalie Samantha Peebles could not keep her hands on a long pass to the middle, Alexis Bandera pried it free and passed it to Loren Lucio, who poked the shot home.
It would stay 1-1 for a while, even as Westhill began to attack more in the waning minutes. Only a series of fine saves by goalie Chelsea Root kept the Bearcats even as overtime loomed.
But with 3:06 left, Brenna Rainone’s long run forced a corner kick. Bethany Hemmes deposited the ball right to the middle – and Maggie Tripodi headed it past Root into the top center portion of the net for the game-winner.
Westhill looks for another quality road win Thursday, when it goes to Skaneateles as Solvay (4-3) stays home to face Cazenovia on that same night.
