There is no way that the Westhill girls soccer team can again win the Section III and regional Class B titles while reaching the state final four, as it did in 2022.
That’s because, when the post-season arrives in October, the Warriors will be in Class A, challenging, among others, reigning state champion New Hartford.
Still, Westhill will face its neighbors and rivals in the OHSL Liberty division, including Skaneateles, who arrived for a highly-anticipated Aug. 31 season opener.
After a scoreless first half, Westhill increased its pressure early in the second half and went in front when Kara Rosenberger pounded on a rebound.
Then Elle Herrera added an insurance goal, assisted by Delaney Goode, and the Warriors went on to win 2-0, its defense imiting the Lakers to just two shots as Mara Stanton made seven saves for Skaneateles.
Those struggles for Skaneateles continued last Tuesday in a 1-0 defeat to Phoenix. Danielle Sussey’s first-half goal held up for the Firebirds as it limited the Lakers to four shots, all stopped by Samantha Hopps.
Westhill would get another 2-0 shutout that same night, this one over Homer, who defended quite well throughout the game/
Trojans goalie Alex Kellaway made 16 saves, only allowing one goal each half. Herrera and Gorman earned those goals, with Hannah Goodness adding an assist.
Marcellus waited until last Wednesday to open its season at Cazenovia, and its eagerness to get going, combined with a sharp focus, led to a 3-0 shutout victory.
Cece Powell, Claire Card and Jadyn Baker took turns getting first-half goals, with Marielle Kennedy and Alie Kaup earning assists. Then a stingy Mustangs defense made that entire margin stick.
West Genesee finds itself in a Class AA that still has reigning champion Fayetteville-Manlius, but the Wildcats displayed its own credentials by playing another top AA contender to a standstill.
The Wildcats and East Syracuse Minoa ended up in a 0-0 draw in the Sept. 1 opener in Camillus, this despite plenty of chances on both ends.
Combined, WG’s goalies, Jenna Orr and Julia Poissant, had seven saves, while none of the Wildcats’s eight shots would get past Spartans goalie Juilana Orcutt.
Confident from this result, the Wildcats went to Bragman Stadium last Tuesday night and, against Cicero-North Syracuse, earned a 2-1 victory over the Northstars.
It was Alyssa Winters netting WG’s first goal of the season off a feed from Maddy Mango but it took Ellie McMahon scoring unassisted in the second half to give the visitors its ultimate winning tally. Orr and Poissant had six saves.
All of this preceded a stretch where, over nine days, WG would play five times, starting with a tournament in Albany against Goshen and Schalmont and then, back home, taking on Baldwinsville and Liverpool with a rematch against C-NS in between.
