CENTRAL NEW YORK – To say the West Genesee girls soccer team has tested itself in the proper manner of a reigning Section III Class AA champion severely understates the case.
Not only have the Wildcats gone up against tough competition on a consistent basis, it has done so in a short time window, playing nearly half its schedule in a span of less than three weeks – and somehow going 5-2.
And at the tail end of it were two tough league games 48 hours apart, with WG traveling to face unbeaten Baldwinsville and then returning home to take on Fayetteville-Manlius.
At Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium last Tuesday night, the Wildcats were quite impressive, the 2-0 winning margin over the Bees not reflecting the way it controlled most of the contest and kept the Bees mostly in a defensive mode.
It helped that B’ville had played a tough game two days earlier beating Broadalbin-Perth 2-1 and was in its sixth overall game in an 11-day span.
Far more rested, WG pushed its tempo from the opening kickoff, leading to a string of scoring opportunities and set pieces which culminated 10:15 into the game when Chelsea Donaldson found Maria Snyder in stride and Snyder fit a low shot inside the left post.
That it wasn’t more than 1-0 at halftime was partially due to the Bees hanging on defensively and partially due to bad luck as a potential second goal was waved off due to offsides.
Still, the Wildcats did not sit back in the second half, even after Julia Poissant stopped Nadia Guzman point-blank from a possible tying goal in the 51st minute.
WG continued to make strong attacks and then, just past the midway point, notching the insurance goal with another shot inside the left post, this time from Bridget Petrus as Anna Nelson got the assist.
Good as this performance was, what the Wildcats did rallying to beat F-M 3-1 a couple of days later was better because, in this case, it trailed 1-0 at halftime before turning it on in the late going.
Maria Snyder sparked all of it. Three different times in the second half, her deft passes set up goals as Donaldson, Anna Nelson and Kelly O’Donnell all converted and the defense contained the Hornets’ potent lineup, Poissant finishing with seven saves.
Meanwhile, Bishop Ludden, off to its own strong 4-1 start, was tripped up last Tuesday night against visiting Fabius-Pompey, taking a 4-2 defeat to the Falcons.
Laurel Yard and Jordan Janicki pushed F-P along, each of them scoring twice as Yard added an assist. Not quite able to answer it, the Gaelic Knights only managed single goals from Brynn Marvin and Elizabeth Gaughan, with Grace Olivia adding an assist.
Two days later at Bishop Grimes, Ludden roared back to the win column, shutting out the Cobras 5-0.
Getting a 2-0 advantage by halftime, the Gaelic Knights added to that total led by Evelyn Allers, who scored twice and got an assist. Gaughan and Ashley Pawelczyk both had one goal and one assist, with Jane Fallon also scoring.
Another win followed on Saturday, Ludden topping Syracuse City 4-1 with a late-game surge after only leading 1-0 at the half. Gaughan scored twice and Pawelczyk got a goal and two assists, while Sophia Chemotti also converted.
Jordan-Elbridge was overwhelmed in the first half by Hannibal/Cato-Meridian in a 9-1 defeat on Friday, the margin going to 7-0 at halftime before Brielle Gilfus gave the Eagles a second-half goal. Amber Clarke had five of Hannibal’s goals, plus an assist, to negate Kelsey Brunelle’s 16 saves.
