By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
Beardsley wins 400th with Fillmore girls’ soccer
WHITESVILLE — There have been plenty of triumphant moments that Fillmore head coach Jon Beardsley has been a part of with the Lady Eagles girls soccer program. With it of course, the amazing and incredible pipeline of talented soccer superstars that have come and gone, year in and year out.
Lest we forget, the immense support from the surrounding soccer community in Fillmore to help make it all happen. You mix all of these elements together, and you have yourself one of Section V’s most prominent perennial powerhouses in recent memory.
On Tuesday, another defining moment for the program occurred after an 80-minute session with Andover/Whitesville over the road — Career victory No. 400 for the longtime Lady Eagles mastermind.
The Lady Eagles set the tone right away against Andover/Whitesville on offense after the first half. Led by the likes of Hope Russell once again on the front line, the visitors in white and green ensured victory at the end of the night, scoring four goals in each 40 minute stanza to stroll towards what was an 8-0 road shutout.
“I’m fortunate. First and foremost, the student-athletes deserve all the credit. Year in and year out, I’ve had kids that have gone above and beyond and they’ve bought into what FCS soccer is all about. It’s 1000 percent why I do what I do,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. “Along with that, I have a team of people, from assistants to volunteers, parents, support staff, family and friends that are part of making this all possible. Most notably, the best assistant and friend anyone could ask for in Jeff Fuller. Any win or credit I get, he definitely is sharing with me. While I don’t take 400 wins for granted, winning is hard and it’s fun, but it’s not my “why”. It’s the kids, and it’s being an educator and trying to make them the best they can be on and off the field. The thing is they help me more than I help them.”
The scoring for Fillmore (3-0) began just past the 10 minute mark in the opening half when Hope Russell connected with her first of three first half goals to record the hat trick. In between the goals, an assist dished off to her sister Grace Russell nearly 10 minutes removed from the opening tally to branch the lead over Andover/Whitesville to a pair.
After finishing the half with back-to-back goals from Hope Russell in 1:48, the scoring continued in the second half with four more goals, including the fourth and final tally from Russell, Grace Russell’s second goal of the game and a score each from Mylee Miller and Mattie McCumiskey. Montana Gayford picked up an assist on McCumiskey’s tally with 11:55 left to play.
Fillmore recorded 21 total shots against Andover/Whitesville (0-2), while the defense in turn held the hosts in black to just four. Preslee Miller made all four stops to record the shutout. On the other end, Olivia Waters put a stop to 13 shots.
Both teams are back on the pitch Friday night, with the Lady Eagles heading back home to host Friendship/Scio in a 7 p.m. first kick, while Andover/Whitesville hits the road for a visit to Alfred-Almond at 5:30 p.m.
Craig Lawrence Tourney at Way-Co: Letchworth 3, Wellsville 2 (F-OT)
COHOCTON — Plenty of excitement was in the air all throughout night one of the Craig Lawrence Memorial Tournament at Wayland-Cohocton. Especially during the final first round battle under the lights, where the Lady Lions of Wellsville did battle with Letchworth.
With a halftime deficit to overcome, a position that the Lady Lions have been in before, they went on to do it again in the game’s waning seconds to force overtime. But in the extra session, Letchworth was able to shake off the late Wellsville rally with the golden goal in the late stages of the period to claim a 3-2 victory to advance into Friday’s Championship game.
“We never let down and we never gave up. As a team, we are mentally and physically strong, and it showed tonight,” said Lady Lions coach Erica Aftuck. “It was a tough way for it to end in overtime, but I am proud of every single girl on this team. It’s only game three, but I am thrilled with what I see. Letchworth has two super good and fast attackers, but in the second half, we stepped up our game.”
Charity Scott was the driving force behind Letchworth’s first half lead, as she scored both markers beginning at the 15 minute mark to break the ice, and later with three minutes remaining to branch out the advantage.
Despite being down by a pair, the Lady Lions (1-1-1) ate up all the pressure and rebounded in the biggest of ways in the last 40 minutes with Lauren Viglietta scoring first to cut the deficit in half just past midway. Letchworth would continue to cling onto their slim lead, but with 27 seconds left to go, Alexa Hennessy gave the ball a big boot straight into the net off a direct kick to tie the game at two, forcing overtime in the process.
A midfield battle would ensue and rage on all across overtime. From within it, an opening was created for Letchworth to end the game, as Annetta Owens found the back of the Wellsville cage for the game-winner to clinch a spot in Friday’s Championship game against Mount Morris.
Letchworth narrowly outshot Wellsville by a 20-16 total count, with Madison Thompson staying busy in between the posts for the Lady Lions with 11 saves.
Wellsville will return to the Cohocton Sports Complex on Friday for Consolation round action beginning with a 7 p.m. first kick, as they battle host Wayland-Cohocton.
GIRLS TENNIS
Avoca/Prattsburgh 4, Fillmore 1
PRATTSBURGH — Behind strong performance in a sweep of both doubles matches, along with dominant displays from Camryn Moore and Genevieve Dabby in singles action, the Lady Titans of Avoca/Prattsburgh were able to spark a victory on their home court Wednesday night in Prattsburgh, rolling towards a 4-1 decision.
Both Moore and Dabby led the way for Avoca/Prattsburgh at first and second singles respectively, as each Lady Titan scored a strong 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Fillmore’s Claire Schilke and Molly Mahoney to help set the tone. Down in doubles action, the match was ultimately claimed by the hosts with a sweep in both contests, as the first doubles team of Colleen Hammond and Gracie Cole capitalized on a first-set tiebreak to defeat Kira Morley and Indigo Knapp.
At second doubles, a back-and-forth affair saw Olivia Mullen and Nataley Patoine emerge victorious with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Kirra Bentley and Lena Tucker.
Fillmore’s (0-2) lone win would come courtesy of Spencer Hopkins, who recorded a 6-0, 6-0 shutout herself at third singles, paving the way towards victory over Ginny Savage.
“I’m really proud of the team. We talked a lot about growth and improvement, and we certainly showed that tonight,” said Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Spencer was awesome at third singles, and the doubles teams played two matches that could have easily swung our way. We have to keep working to get ready for a tough Wellsville team at home this weekend.”
The Lady Eagles head back home to Houghton College to meet Wellsville on Friday at 5 p.m.
Singles
1. Camryn Moore (A/P) def. Claire Schilke (FIL), 6-0, 6-0.
2. Genevieve Dabby (A/P) def. Molly Mahoney (FIL), 6-0, 6-0.
3. Spencer Hopkins (FIL) def. Ginny Savage (A/P), 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles
1. Colleen Hammond/Gracie Cole (A/P) def. Kira Morley/Indigo Knapp (FIL), 7-6 (4), 6-3.
2. Olivia Mullen/Nataley Patoine (A/P) def. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Cuba-Rushford action
CUBA — After a straight-set loss to the hands of Section VI powerhouse Allegany-Limestone to begin the season, the opportunity to turn the tables on another foe from the west was upon the horizon for the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, Wednesday night.
With the Lady Huskies of Olean in town to visit the Wighthouse, the Lady Rebels would build a phenomenal start against their opposition, using a lengthy first serve momentum builder to pair with an array of magnificent service to get the party started.
Although Olean flipped the script later on in the night, the hosts in blue remained resilient and put their poise and patience on full display to erase a massive second set deficit in favor of what would wind up being a straight-set victory to close out the evening, as the Lady Rebels strolled towards a 25-16, 25-23, 25-16 first win of the season.
“It was a really good bounce back for us,” said Lady Rebels coach Josh Tompkins. “After losing to Allegany-Limestone, it was great to come out and play a solid and well-executed match against Olean. It was a great experience for us to have, and the environment for the game was great. I’m looking forward to playing Bolivar-Richburg to open up League play this weekend.”
To open up festivities, the Lady Rebels (1-1) were red hot, as they used a combination of phenomenal service from Kendall Tompkins, Jessica Ringelberg and Lilah Stroud to aid in fueling eight of the first 10 points against Olean. The momentum furthered on towards the late stages of the set where Cuba-Rushford would scavenge a lead by as much as 10 at one point to help shut the door.
The Lady Huskies remained on their toes however, as they fired right back with a response of their own to chip away at their deficit and apply pressure in return to the hosts. But the Lady Rebels would keep a hold of their firm first set lead to take the match’s opening advantage.
In the next set however, the tables were turned, as Olean recorded six straight points out of the gate, using it to capture an eight-point lead themselves. Despite falling behind, the Lady Rebels emerged with resilience and poise to re-flip the tables back into their direction once and for all, maintaining all momentum from that point on with a 15-6 run following a 10-2 Olean lead to force what would be a victorious back-and-forth finish to claim a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Rebels went on to finish off the match victory with a dominant third set finish to record the sweep.
Leading the way for the hosts was Lauren O’Keefe, who recorded seven kills, five digs and two aces. Lilah Stroud followed with four kills of her own to pair with a pair of blocks. Jessica Ringelberg had six digs to go with three additional kills and an ace, while setter Kendall Tompkins handed out 17 assists to couple alongside seven digs, four aces and a trio of kills.
Cuba-Rushford is back on the floor Friday night with their first road trip of the campaign, visiting Bolivar-Richburg in a 7:30 p.m. first serve.
Avoca/Prattsburgh 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0
PRATTSBURGH — Despite a tough challenge presented by visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast, the Lady Titans of Avoca/Prattsburgh were able to garner a big home win to help open up their season on Wednesday, as they brought out the brooms to collect a 25-17, 25-13, 25-18 victory in Prattsburgh.
Helping lead the way for Genesee Valley/Belfast (0-1) on the attack was Kendra Bigelow, as she posted five kills and five aces from the service line. Following up was Lilianna Porter-Long, who tallied four kills and one block at the front of the net, while setter Cassidy Hand dished out nine helpers up on the front line to pair with four aces.
“I saw a lot of good things out of the team tonight,” said GV/Belfast coach Darren Bradt. “But there are lots of things where we know we need to get some work done. Some new faces really stepped up their game, and have shown some great improvement. I’m excited to see where this team is heading as the season goes on, as it continues to gel and grow.”
Genesee Valley/Belfast returns to action on Friday for their first home match of the campaign, as they welcome in the Lady Panthers of Houghton Academy for a 7:30 p.m. first serve in the Jungle.
Saturday Roundup: Defending Class D State Champion Eagles start defense with bang in home-opening win over Fri/Scio; C-R girls roll, GV/Belfast girls blank Lady Wolverines
Genesee Valley/Belfast 2, Bolivar-Richburg 0
BELMONT — All Hannah Southwick-Powers needed was five minutes to change the complexion of the game, Tuesday night. Just five minutes in the opening half that wound up making all the difference in their first home-opening battle at Judy Bliven Field this season, as host Genesee Valley/Belfast took care of business against visiting Bolivar-Richburg with a 2-0 shutout.
For much of the battle, possession was controlled primarily by Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-0), as they recorded 12 shots against the Lady Wolverines while the defense remained vigilant in turn, which allowed Kimme Ball to collect her second straight shutout in between the pipes.
While the defense was holding the Lady Wolverines in check, the offense began to crack through with the assistance of Southwick-Powers close to 10 minutes removed from the opening kick, as she connected with Whitney Young on the game’s first big play to break the ice with a 1-0 lead.
The hope was to keep the momentum intact after pulling ahead first. Genesee Valley/Belfast would go on to do just that with a quick response five minutes later from Southwick-Powers again with her second of the game, this time interlinking with Danica Scott at the 25:22 mark of the frame to branch out their lead even further.
From that point on, the remainder of the game rested solely on the defense, as they went on to successfully hold Bolivar-Richburg (1-1) at a standstill, freezing the Lady Wolverines to just a pair of shots on goal and a single corner kick opportunity.
Ball would make one save in net for the hosts to earn the win, while Rylee Whiting made four saves for the Lady Wolverines, who now head to Hinsdale to take part in the 1st Annual Tri-County Cup hosted by Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale on Thursday, as they partake in opening round action with the host Lady Rebels in Hinsdale at 7 p.m.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will get back to it on Saturday with tournament action of their own, as they head east to the Albany area to Waterford-Halfmoon for an opening round battle beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale 5, Friendship/Scio 2
CUBA — The first half for the host Lady Rebels was one of major emphasis, starting the game red hot and ending the stanza with an exclamation point to capture a two-goal advantage over Friendship/Scio.
Even with the hot start in hand, head coach Aaron Wight stressed to his team the importance of carrying over the momentum into the new half during the team’s discussion at halftime.
Their response? A big one.
Although Friendship/Scio found their way onto the board to end the chances of a season-opening shutout for Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale, the Lady Rebels found the net three more times to claim a 5-1 lead they held onto for much of the second half, never looking back on what ultimately became a 5-2 victory in Cuba on Tuesday.
“To be honest, I was a little nervous coming in. This was our first time really putting it all together and I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “At halftime, we really stressed on the importance of the third goal. We knew it was a matter of time before the (Nevaeh and Morghyn) Ross sisters would threaten us. They’re both so dangerous. Thankfully, we came out and got that goal early, and it really gave us some breathing room to work with.”
The Lady Rebels (1-0) opened up the campaign with a bang, collecting two goals each from Shae Maples and Jen Tuttle, with Maples scoring the team’s first right from the get-go just 1:17 removed from the clock.
The lead was held straight down to the wire in the opening half when it was branched out on a magnificent special teams opportunity deep in the Friendship/Scio zone. Set up by a big corner kick from Brynn Lavery, Tuttle was able to get enough momentum to fire the ball to the back of the net with 3:30 to go to help the hosts in blue claim a 2-0 lead going into the break.
After the 10 minute discussion at halftime, the Lady Rebels saw an all-important third goal come into complete fruition. And quick.
At the 34:11 mark, that lead grew to 3-0 with Maples’ second marker of the night — a marker that rapidly turned into a strand of goals, being the first of four goals in a span of nearly five minutes.
Within that, came Friendship/Scio’s (0-1) first marker from Nevaeh Ross, as she connected with Lexi Crossley on the play to cut their deficit back down to a pair. But just as quick as the visitors did that, the Lady Rebels came right back with two quick jabs of their own, as Tuttle’s second strike along with a massive penalty kick score from Cloey Larabee pushed the advantage out to four, creating more separation to allow them to hang onto victory for good.
With 11:12 to go, Friendship/Scio would record their final goal from Morghyn Ross, who was assisted by her sister Nevaeh, for her first of the season.
Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale outshot Friendship/Scio by a 23-9 count, with Lilly Johnson-Clark receiving credit for the shutout, making all nine stops. On the other end, Grace Drumm made 16 saves. Friendship/Scio will look to rebound back on the road Friday at 7 p.m. against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore.
As for the Lady Rebels, they will prepare to host their 1st Annual Tri-County Cup beginning on Thursday, where they will face the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg in a first round matchup at 7 p.m. in Hinsdale. The winner will face either Canisteo-Greenwood or Olean in the title game, this weekend.
GIRLS SOCCER
Tri-County Cup
Bolivar-Richburg 1, Cuba-Rushford 0
HINSDALE — Getting that one chance at the most opportune of times can play an enormous factor. When it’s a penalty kick, it’s a game-changer.
That scenario arose for the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg in their Tri-County Cup first round battle with the host Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford.
With the score on the board without one, that was changed drastically with a single kick from inside the Cuba-Rushford box when Cassidy Stives buried the best chance the Lady Wolverines mustered against the hosts in blue all night long, putting them out in front of the driver’s seat for the remainder of the night to lock in a berth in Saturday’s Championship game of the inaugural tournament behind a 1-0 shutout in Hinsdale on Thursday.
The Lady Wolverines (2-1) were in prime position to jump out ahead first after a rush into the Cuba-Rushford zone resulted in a dynamic chance to open the scoring. With nearly 15 minutes left in the half, Stives was the recipient of a penalty kick after a foul just inside the Lady Rebels box. A chance that she would not allow to slip from her grasp, as she buried the ball to give the visitors in white and red the only lead the game would see.
“Finishing made all the difference in this one,” Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight said. “We created tons of chances and we just couldn’t convert them. We did a lot of things right, and just lacked that little bit of quality in front of the goal. Credit to Bolivar-Richburg, they took advantage of a foul at the top of the 18 in the first half and scored on the free kick.”
Despite falling behind the eight ball going into the half and upon re-entering the field for the second half, the Lady Rebels (1-1) were able to hold the fort down securely on defense, freezing Bolivar-Richburg right where they stood with just the single goal behind another stellar defensive effort.
In all, a massive 22-2 outshooting of the Lady Wolverines went in favor of Cuba-Rushford.
“Defensively, I thought we were great. It came down to one foul in a dangerous area and we were a bit disorganized during the free kick,” said Wight. “It falls on me, and we’re a young group that will learn a lot from this game. That’s part of the game, and sometimes you do everything right and control a game. There will be times where you just cannot find the back of the net.”
In goal, Rylee Whiting received shutout honors for Bolivar-Richburg with all 22 stops against the Lady Rebels, while on the other end, Lilly Johnson-Clark made one save.
The Tri-County Cup will reach its conclusion Saturday morning back down Interstate-86 and to Cuba-Rushford where the host Lady Rebels will face Olean in Consolation round festivities beginning in a 11 a.m. opening kick, while the Championship game between Canisteo-Greenwood and Bolivar-Richburg will follow afterwards at 1 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Houghton Academy 3, Hammondsport 0
HOUGHTON — The Lady Panthers of Houghton Academy took the reins from beginning to end on their home floor for the first time this season, Thursday night, as they started with a dominant first set performance against Hammondsport and never looked back, recording the straight-set sweep along the way with a 25-10, 25-19, 25-12 triumph.
Charging the victorious efforts for the Lady Panthers (1-0) were Liberty Stevens, who recorded nine digs, six kills, six aces and one helper. Following behind was Bella Stevens, who tallied five kills of her own to pair alongside four aces and four digs.
Houghton Academy will return to the floor with a quick turnaround tonight, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast at 7:30 p.m.
Hinsdale 3, Keshequa 2
HINSDALE — In a true back-and-forth affair all the way down to the wire, the Lady Bobcats of Hinsdale were pushed to the brink after three sets of play against visiting Keshequa on Thursday.
But behind some incredible resilience, the hosts in blue were able to bounce back in a big way with a massive fourth set win to force a decisive fifth set that could have gone either way. With points being traded left and right by both squads, the Lady Bobcats were able to find two consecutive points in extra serves to record the five-set victory by a 25-13, 18-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14 count.
Stats for the Lady Bobcats (1-1) were not made available to report upon publication.
Hinsdale is back on the floor Monday night with a 6:30 p.m. trip to Ellicottville.
Bolivar-Richburg 3, Canisteo-Greenwood 0 (Wednesday)
CANISTEO — The 2023 campaign for the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg fired up across all cylinders Wednesday night over the road, as strong nights of service from both Hannah Mascho and Brena Walp helped pull them ahead of host Canisteo-Greenwood with a dominant straight-set, 25-15, 25-6, 25-5 victory.
Helping create the big offensive uproar for the Lady Wolverines (1-0) were Kori Thomas, Jayna Thomas and Joey Danaher, as all three attackers provided five kills each. As for their service, Hannah Mascho was at the top of her game with 12 massive service points, pairing them with 12 assists at the front of the net to go with nine aces.
Brena Walp added in 11 more service points, eight aces and four digs on defense.
Adding some additional help along the way was Carmen Crowley, who posted eight service points to couple with four kills and four aces.
Bolivar-Richburg is back on their home floor tonight, welcoming in the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford for a 7:30 p.m. visit.
