CENTRAL NEW YORK – For the only time in the regular season, the Westhill and Marcellus girls soccer teams would face another, doing so to to climax a busy opening stretch for these rivals.
Back on Sept. 9-10, both teams went to tournaments in the Albany area, with Westhill splitting its two games and Marcellus taking them both at the Hall of Fame Tournament.
Westhill, at Schalmont, won 5-3 over the Sabers in a clash of state powers, Schuyler Auringer stepping up with a pair of goals as Hannah Goodness and Kara Rosenberger each got one goal and one assist and Mary Kate Rewakowski also found the net. Herrera and Goode added assists.
A day later, Westhill took its first loss of the season, 4–1, to St. Mary’s (Buffalo), with Goodness netting the Warriors’ lone goal and Taylor Falcone recording seven saves.
In the Hall of Fame Tournament at Niskayuna, Marcellus defeated Beekmantown 5-2, with Janie Powell scoring twice and getting a pair of assists as Cece Powell got two goals and one assist. Corrine Aldrich had the other goal.
A 6-0 shutout of Waverly completed the tournament sweep and Cece Powell continued to surge, her three-goal hat trick part of an attack where Jadyn Baker scored twice and Aldrich dished out three assists to go with her lone goal. Marielle Kennedy got two assists.
By that same 6-0 margin on Tuesday night, Westhill blanked Cortland, with Herrera and Goode notching two goals apiece. Goodness had one goal and one assist, Hannah Dorfman also found the net as Molly Thompson had two assists.
Two nights later, it was the Warriors battling past Mexico 3-0, overcoming Tigers goalie Caprice Cutuli’s 14 saves with goals from Goodness, Herrera and Reagan Talucci, while Rosie Mahoney contributed an assist.
Now Marcellus would take the measure of Skaneateles last Tuesday night and, amid a driving rain, the Mustangs used a late goal to edge the Lakers 2-1.
They had exchanged goals in the early going, Janie Powell finding the net for the Mustangs amid constant pressure and Paige Willard scoring on Skaneateles’ side.
Then, with just under 11 minutes left in regulation, the Mustangs earned a corner kick. Aldrich crossed to the middle, and Baker took it, ultimately beating Mara Stanton, who had kept her team in it thanks to 13 saves.
A day earlier, the Lakers had scraped past Mynderse Academy 1-0, Isabella Arroyo’s second-half goal proving enough as it beat its second neighborhood opponent in as many games.
Skaneateles had routed Auburn 5-0 on Sept. 9, spreading around its attack. Only Willard scored twice, with singles goals going to Carolina McGraw, Tate Ryan and Keating Morrissey.
And after it lost to Marcellus, the Lakers took out its frustrations on Hannibal/Cato-Meridian two days later, especially in the second half of a 7-0 shutout.
Only up 1-0 at the break, Skaneateles unloaded in the second half, seeing McGraw and Gianna Caraccio score twice as Skylar Simmnons had a pair of assists. Willard earned one goal and one assist, Reese Gaidis also finding the net as Arroyo and Jenna DeWolf earned assists.
Meanwhile, Marcellus put away Phoenix 4-0 on Friday night. Janie Powell’s pair of goals were part of an attack where Claire Card and Cece Powell both had one goal and one assist. Aldrich also had an assist.
