Only at the last step to the summit was the Marcellus girls soccer team denied the state Class B championship.
Though it battled right to the last whistle, the Mustangs lost, 1-0, to Bronxville, of Westchester County, in Saturday morning’s championship game at SUNY-Cortland, the game decided by Taylor Reynolds’ goal midway through the second half.
“They didn’t outplay us,” said head coach Laurie Updike. “We just didn’t get our goal.”
Even with all the legacy of state championship appearances in the program’s recent past (five trips to the finals in eight years), this was the first time that this group of Mustang players were vying for the big prize. The only consolation was that Bronxville, who had never won a state title before and had just two senior starters, was just as new to this big stage, so they had equal amounts of nerves – at least in theory.
With the same early-morning start that it faced the day before in the state semifinals against Center Moriches, Marcellus traded early runs with Bronxville, neither team getting any kind of close looks – and neither side wanting to make a big mistake, either.
Gradually, the Broncos picked up pressure, forcing some corner kicks, but could not convert them as, again, the superb Mustang defense clamped down when it needed to. Jackson also handled her early chances with poise and confidence.
In the middle of the half, Marcellus started finding some opportunities, testing out Bronxville’s defenses without initial success. Still, the likes of Kathryn Busa and Jessie Nye often found their paths blocked as the Broncos easily flicked those chances away. Brielle Filtch took the first shot, in the 24th minute, but Grace Devlin caught it.
Late in the half, it got more active. In the 36th minute Bronxville nearly took the lead as Ashley Geitl rocketed a hard shot just over the net.
Busa’s first real chance came just before halftime, when she got free down the left side, only to have her crossing pass kicked away. And on a corner kick, Lizzy Dean had space and an open shot – but like Geitl, her shot flew too high, and it was 0-0 at the break.
Even with that strong finish, though, Marcellus could not carry that momentum into the second half, watching as Bronxville resumed its attack. That didn’t lead to immediate result – but in the 54th minute, the Broncos moved head.
It came off Bronxville’s seventh corner kick of the game. The initial shot slipped out of Jackson’s grasp and, with several players knocking the ball around, Reynolds slipped the ball into the net.
Now Marcellus was behind, just like the day before. Knowing this, the Mustangs increased its level of play in hopes for another late, dramatic rally.
“They never gave up, and always thought it (a goal) was going to happen,” said Updike.
Bronxville kept applying pressure and kept possessing the ball, an effective tactic that short-circuited all of the Mustangs’ plans. And the Broncos didn’t get tired, even though it made few substitutions during the bulk of the contest.
At just the right moment, though, Marcellus charged. Twice within the span of a minute late in regulation, Deviln had to make diving stops to keep the Mustangs from point-blank looks at the net that could have pulled things even.
From there, Bronxville hung on, leaving the Mustangs just short of a fourth state championship to match the titles won in 1989, 2003 and 2004.
Still, the entire season, said Updike, was a memorable one as a Mustang team lightly regarded back in September came within inches of the ultimate prize.
“I knew this team would do very well, but didn’t know how far it would get,” said Updike. “As the season went on, everyone started to believe. It was that belief that got us here.”
