CHITTENANGO – Not so long ago, the talk surrounding Fayetteville-Manlius girls soccer was how it could do well in the regular season but never quite reach a championship level in the post-season.
Now, though, the Hornets find themselves having spent half a decade without dropping a game in the Section III playoffs.
F-M’s fourth consecutive sectional Class AA championship was earned Tuesday night at Chittenango High School when well-timed scoring plays and consistent defense produced a 2-0 victory over West Genesee.
Just as in 2021, the Hornets were not the favorites going into the sectional tournament. It had started the season 1-3 and then, in October, had a 1-3 stretch that included a 3-0 defeat at West Genesee.
This helped the Wildcats secure the top playoff seed, while F-M, as the no. 3 seed, had to win two sectional games to reach the final, including a 2-1 victory at no. 2 seed Cicero-North Syracuse in the semifinals Oct. 26.
In that game, Morgan Goodman had scored both Hornets goals. It only figured that Goodman would help F-M turn things around against a WG side that had rolled past Liverpool 4-1 in the other semifinal.
Late in the first half, the game was still 0-0, only because the Hornets’ defense had stood up amid a furious Wildcats charge that included several shots that somehow did not get past Mackenzie Murphy.
Then, with 1:46 left, Goodman grabbed possession and, breaking free down the sideline, moved it past WG’s defenders before she fired a shot past Wildcats goalie Jenna Orr.
For a majority of the second half, it remained 1-0, F-M ably protecting its slim margin but still wanting to get a bigger cushion.
Goodman again stepped up and, with 12:39 left, drew in the defense before passing it to Ashley Seidberg, who fired home the clinching goal.
With the sectional title secured, F-M now will focus on Saturday’s regional final against Section II champion Shaker at Mechanicville High School near Saratoga, with a berth in the Nov. 12-13 state final four on the line.
