Somehow, the Jamesville-DeWitt girls soccer team was still smiling as it trotted out to the field late Thursday afternoon to put its season, and its five-year run as Section III Class A champions, on the line.
Eighty minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime had passed in the sectional Class A quarterfinal, and the Red Rams remained 0-0 with its neighbors and rivals from Christian Brothers Academy.
Up against a determined Brothers defense – not to mention high winds, cold temperatures and a fair amount of rain – J-D had bogged down, which mean that, unless it came through in the cauldron of a penalty-kick shoot-out, its undefeated season would come to an abrupt end.
Yet it never looked, for one moment, like the Rams were scared or in a state of panic. Instead, four straight players took their turns – and converted, while two CBA misses assured that the Rams’ season would continue, at least until next week’s semifinal against Whitesboro.
Entering the sectional tournament, J-D was not only the top seed and defending champions, it had gone a perfect 16-0 in the regular season. But CBA was familiar with them, thanks to a pair of regular-season encounters, one of which had gone to overtime on Sept. 20 before the Rams won 3-0.
No one was getting three goals on this day. The raw conditions and a lush grass field slowed down the game, which, as it turned out, was just what the defensive-minded Brothers wanted.
Though forced to play on its end of the field through much of the afternoon, CBA was ready for it. A full complement of back-line players, including Alexa Radziewicz, Kate Derrenbacker, Chloe Germain, Claire Pierret and Ariana Cavallaro, made things miserable for J-D’s deep group of midfielders and forwards.
Whether it was stripping the ball during a charge to the net, or just deflecting possible shots out of harm’s way, the Brothers maintained the shutout, and goalkeeper Catherine Burns was steady and sensational, recording 13 saves.
Still, J-D nearly got the game-winner late in regulation, when Alex Catanzarite’s long pass found a streaking Paige Sherling. Going in alone right up the middle, Sherling’s point-blank shot flew wide.
The Rams never got as good an opportunity in the 20 mandatory minutes of overtime, nor in the 10 minutes of sudden-victory OT, where a pair of corner kicks got turned back.
So that left it to penalty kicks. Going first, J-D’s Caroline Kopp hit it right to Burns, who could not handle it as the ball still found the net. Moments later, CBA’s first attempt, by Kate LaCasse, banged off the crossbar.
In quick succession, Catanzarite sent it past a diving Burns and Julia Slisz converted, too, while goalie Maddy Frank, stepping up, made a stop on Jessica Slack’s shot before Germain finally put CBA on the board.
But with a 3-1 edge in the shoot-out, J-D just needed one more goal. Fittingly, it was Sherling, who had missed that great chance in regulation, who beat Burns and helped the Rams survive and advance.
As that went on, East Syracuse-Minoa, the no. 7 seed in the Class A sectional tournament, went north and knocked off no. 2 seed Watertown 2-0.
Both of the Spartans’ goals came in the first half, one each from Ashley Scalzo and Tate Kohlbrenner, with assists credited to Claire Maring and Julia Shug. From there, ESM’s defense did the rest, bottling up the Cyclones’ attack and getting four saves from goalie Amanda Goodhines.
Just getting to J-D required CBA to pull out a 1-0 victory over no. 9 seed Homer in last Tuesday’s opening round at Alibrandi Stadium.
After a quiet first half, the Brothers inched in front early in the second half on Germain’s low shot from the left side that skipped on the wet turf and eluded Homer goalie Lucy Connery. Cavallaro got credit for the assist.
For the most part, CBA kept the ball out of its own end, but as the final seconds ticked down, the Trojans sent everyone forward and won a free kick from 25 yards out, and the header off that free kick went wide as the horn sounded.
ESM had little trouble in its opening-round match last Tuesday night at Spartan Stadium, blanking no. 10 seed Central Valley Academy by a 4-0 margin.
Ignoring the chilly, wet conditions, the Spartans took a 2-0 lead by halftime, and then doubled that margin, led by Scalzo, who scored twice and added an assist. Maring and Julie Steinhauer had the other goals, while Kohlbrenner and Haley Lighton earned assists.
At Watertown, ESM’s success continued – and it may yet get one more chance at J-D, but it would have to first beat a Marcellus side that topped the Spartans 3-0 on Oct. 14.
