CENTRAL NEW YORK – Now the Christian Brothers Academy girls soccer team had the second chance it so badly wanted.
On a cool Friday evening at SUNY-Cortland the Brothers had a chance to pull off, perhaps, the biggest win in the program’s history if it could somehow knock off unbeaten, state no. 1-ranked Marcellus in the Section III Class B championship game.
And CBA gave an inspired effort, dragging the game into overtime – but it just could not get on the board and the Mustangs prevailed 1-0 when Lexie Fragnito netted the game-winner 6:27 into the extra period.
Two weeks earlier at Alibrandi Stadium the Brothers lost to Marcellus 3-0, taking a setback but also learning plenty about the sheer potency of the Mustangs’ attack and the other strong aspects of that team’s construction.
Now applying what it learned, CBA withstood the Mustangs’ aggression in the opening minutes as goalie Cara Macaluso made several key stops, inspiring the back line in front of her to raise their level of play, too.
“They frustrated us the whole first half,” said Marcellus coach Laurie Updike.
It went to the second half still 0-0, where the first-half pattern repeated itself. Again the Mustangs charged and again the Brothers countered, and it almost worked on CBA’s behalf.
Near the midway point of the half, Isabel Araujo, from 20 yards out, drilled a shot that got past Marcellus goalie Tenly Baker – but banged off the crossbar without a rebounds.
The Brothers never got as close again in regulation, and it went to OT, where the first goal would win it if it was produced.
Again on the front foot, the Mustangs worked the ball to the right where Marielle Kennedy drilled a shot that, like Araujo’s earlier in the game, went off the crossbar.
But before Macaluso could get to the ball Fragnito did so, and she poked int into the unoccupied net, giving Marcellus its second consecutive sectional Class B title.
Back on Tuesday at Jordan-Elbridge CBA claimed a tense 2-1 sectional semifinal decision over Lowville.
Owning the no. 3 seed and a 16-1 record, Lowville kept the game close all the way through, even after Ciara Duggan’s goal pushed CBA in front during the first half.
Answering a second-half Lowville tally, Duggan converted again in the second half for what proved to be the game-winner, with Anisa Tavarez and Francesca Canzano earning assists and each of Macaluso’s six saves an important one.
Getting to the sectional final was something Jamesville-DeWitt wanted in Class A, but the no. 2 seed Red Rams were upended by no. 3 seed Mexico 3-2 in a tense semifinal at Nottingham High School.
Top seed New Hartford (who routed Central Valley Academy 8-1 in the first semifinal) loomed for whoever got out of this game, which wasn’t settled during a 2-2 first half where J-D’s pair of goal were answered by the Tigers.
Then Mexico moved out in front in the second half and, helped by Ava Warchol’s six saves, held on. Mexico’s three goals came from Emily Hough, Allie Poissant and Emma Belfield, with Kylee Urqhart and Haylee Hayes getting assists. J-D’s season finished with a 10-5-3 record.
Fayetteville-Manlius also met the end of its season in the Class AAA semifinal on the J-D turf, where strong defense most of the way was not quite enough in a 1-0 loss to defending champion Cicero-North Syracuse.
The Northstars had prevailed over F-M by that same margin two weeks earlier after a 2-2 draw in the first meeting in September, and a scoreless first half added to the tension.
What ultimately pulled C-NS through was a defense which rarely let the Hornets get many close-up looks. F-M had just five direct shots, all stopped by Natalie LaPoint.
The breakthrough came late as eighth-grader Sloane Raymond flashed open and, taking a pass from Abby Mackey, put it past Mackenzie Martin for the decisive goal. F-M could not answer it and finished 8-8-2 overall.
