Wednesday Roundup: Fillmore girls tennis collects 1st win behind 1st career victory for Mahoney at Way-Co; Golden delivers last-second GWG for Fri/Scio boys in 3-2 win over Lima Christian
By CHRIS BROOKS. wellsvillesports.com
BOYS SOCCER
Friendship/Scio 3, Lima Christian 2
SCIO — The boys soccer spotlight was on Scio, Wednesday night for a game that would come down to the waning moments. All through the night, Lima Christian and host Friendship/Scio gave it their all, but as time continued to tick away, something had to most certainly give during crunch time.
With the contest all deadlocked at two, the hosts in black and yellow were granted an opportunity to strike gold. With the ball sailing straight into the Saints zone, Aiden Golden ran after it and made the most of what would be a game-winning moment.
After the ball was sent into the offensive zone, the Saints defense was not able to corral it into their possession. Instead, the Friendship/Scio sophomore used his footwork to zoom straight through and to the net with 19 seconds left, ending the game in the same swing to deliver the team their first win of the season with a 3-2 home win.
Before the last second fireworks ensued, Friendship/Scio (1-5) picked up a quick lead just over 10 minutes in with the help of Charlie Taylor and Lawson Ector, with Taylor scoring first on an unassisted tally before Ector responded just 50 seconds later on a penalty kick to claim a 2-0 lead on the Saints.
The deficit would wind up getting trimmed in half by Lima Christian however, finding the back of the Friendship/Scio net with 11:33 left to play in the opening half.
What momentum that was built going into halftime, was used right away to start the next period, as the Saints tied the game six minutes removed from the kick at center. It would remain tied all the way down to the wire, when Friendship/Scio was able to find and navigate through an opening against the Saints defense, led by Golden, as he raced down the field to poke his shot to the upper echelon of the net in the waning seconds to officially lock down the first win for the hosts this season.
Both teams were within close distance of one another in the shot department, as Lima Christian took the narrowest of advantages with a 10-9 outshooting of Friendship/Scio. But the win would belong to Deacon Brown in between the posts for the team in black and yellow, as he made eight saves.
Friendship/Scio will look to keep the momentum rolling into the weekend, as they prepare to visit Andover/Whitesville in a 3 p.m. first kick on Saturday in Andover.
GIRLS SOCCER
Friendship/Scio 2, Genesee Valley/Belfast 1
FRIENDSHIP — After what was a phenomenal weekend of soccer out of town in Albany for Genesee Valley/Belfast, the time to keep the fire burning on what was a hot start to their season, resumed on Wednesday.
Waiting in the wings was Friendship/Scio — a team searching for their first win with a head full of steam.
It would only take the first 40 minutes for both offenses to capitalize on their opportunities. But despite allowing a penalty kick in the last 10 minutes, Friendship/Scio would have the game’s first answers with the help of Morgan Holcom and Nevaeh Ross, as they set up shop with an early two-goal lead and never relinquished it to secure their first win of the season in a big way, handing Genesee Valley/Belfast their first loss in a 2-1 decision.
“They were 5-0 coming into the game, and in the first half, we played better than we did in the second half. We won the ball a lot, and it gave us more opportunities,” said Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall. “We can be dangerous up front if we win the ball at the midfield. It was nice to see Morgan get her first goal of the season and then Nevaeh, with a nice turn with the ball to extend the lead. That’s a big goal. We played a little too much defense, but there hasn’t been a lot of winning for the girls on the soccer field. It was a gutsy performance from this young group, and this is a great confidence booster that everyone contributed to.”
Holcom was the first to strike for Friendship/Scio (1-2), as she made a run into the Genesee Valley/Belfast zone after receiving a pass from Morghyn Ross at center, capitalizing on it with nearly 10 minutes removed from the clock to break the ice. The 1-0 lead would remain intact leading up to their next tally from Nevaeh Ross with 17:03 left in the half, scoring a humongous goal after evading a couple of defenders on the way into the offensive zone to branch the advantage to a pair.
Genesee Valley/Belfast (5-1) eventually found their way onto the board with 7:34 left to go, after drawing a foul inside the Friendship/Scio box. With the opportunity, Hannah Southwick-Powers elected to take the kick and did not miss, finding the netting behind Grace Drumm to cut the deficit in half going into the break.
But for the remainder of the game, Friendship/Scio would ward off Genesee Valley/Belfast’s pressure with a strong defensive effort in the second half to claim their first win of the season.
Genesee Valley/Belfast would outshoot Friendship/Scio by a 14-9 count, but the victory belonged to Drumm in between the posts, as she made 11 saves. On the other end of the field, Kimme Ball would set aside five shots for the visitors in white and black.
Friendship/Scio will host their annual Amy MacMichael Tournament tonight with a 5 p.m. contest against Hammondsport in Scio, while Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to rebound back on the road Friday night with a 6 p.m. visit to Andover, facing host Andover/Whitesville.
Fillmore tennis wins
WAYLAND — For the first time this season, Fillmore found their winning edge. Behind the first career Varsity win for Molly Mahoney in singles action, the Lady Eagles went on to record a match-clinch sweep of all three singles matches against host Wayland-Cohocton, using it to capture a 4-1 road win on Wednesday.
“I’m really proud of the team for persevering and working hard to get better. It really paid off today. All three singles players played really well, and a special congrats to Molly for getting her first career singles win.” said Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch.
Mahoney headlined the string of victories for the Lady Eagles (1-4), as she recorded a 10-3 win over Wayland-Cohocton’s Chloe Hoffman. Claire Schilke (10-5) and Spencer Hopkins (10-1) followed up with wins of their own at first and third singles to finish off the match-clinching sweep of the matches.
Fillmore would grab one final victory in doubles competition from the team of Kirra Bentley and Lena Tucker, as they battled tough against Harlee Grodis and Mia Swingle, but came through in resilient fashion with a 10-6 edge.
The Lady Eagles are back on their home court at Houghton College on Friday, as they prepare to welcome in the Alfred-Almond Lady Eagles in a 5 p.m. first serve.
Singles
1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Pearl Walker (W-C), 10-5.
2. Molly Mahoney (FIL) def. Chloe Hoffman (W-C), 10-3.
3. Spencer Hopkins (FIL) def. Merissa Slayton (W-C), 10-1.
Doubles
1. Virginia Carr/Cora Hosmer (W-C) def. Kira Morley/Indigo Knapp (FIL), 10-6.
2. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL) def. Harlee Grodis/Mia Swingle (W-C), 10-6.
