Wednesday Roundup: Scott’s clutch corner breaks ice for GV/Belfast in last 10 minutes, solidifies 1-0 blank in defensive battle with Wellsville; B-R, Fri/Scio girls pick up home wins
Photos and story by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
WELLSVILLE — One goal can make all of the difference in the game of soccer. Just one, and in a game where both defenses have fought the grueling fight, it can provide a much-needed spark for an offense to get the wheels turning on the pitch.
After the Wellsville boys returned home for the first time after eight straight road trips and ended Tuesday night in a victorious manner, it was the Lady Lions’ turn to perhaps bring out the brooms for a home sweep of Genesee Valley/Belfast, as the lights set the field aglow on a brisk Wednesday night in the Lion’s Den.
In a battle that saw both defenses on each end of the field do a vast amount of bending, Genesee Valley/Belfast and Wellsville stood fast and never broke across the majority of action. There were plenty of opportunities to strike, many of them ringing off either the crossbar or the posts of their respective cages.
But with 10 minutes remaining, the pace of play began to create a shift in momentum for one team. One that would be solidified by a single corner kick. Perhaps the biggest chance in the game.
Hannah Southwick-Powers scored when a Danika Scott corner kick was knocked around in front of the box for the lone goal of the game.
With nearly 10 minutes left on the clock, and the pressure from the Lady Lions continuing to build against them, the Genesee Valley/Belfast junior made her way into the far corner where she would provide the game’s biggest chance to break into the ice. She proceeded to send across a beautiful positioned ball straight towards the near post of the Wellsville cage, where a fortuitous bounce in front was able slither its way into the back of the net to become the lone score on the board, as the Genesee Valley/Belfast held strong to secure their 10th win of the season, 1-0.
“Wellsville came to play and we were on our heels for much of it. I would say we controlled most of the game, but they were dangerous a couple of times with their quick transition and switching of fields,” said GV/Belfast co-coach Lisa Scott-Schneider. “We just weren’t together in our offensive touches and our legs were tired, but we finally got one on a corner kick delivered by Danika. A win is a win and we’re moving on to play them again this weekend.”
There was a ton of engagement across every part of the midfield throughout the night, especially in the first half where both teams scored a chance on their opposing net that could completely shifted the action to a different level, with Wellsville (3-8-1) grabbing the first on a beautiful run set up by Jaden Dunbar, seeing a shift of the ball across the front of the Genesee Valley/Belfast and eventually landing on the doorstep of Makenzie Cowburn, who fired a rocket straight at the crossbar, bouncing down and was ultimately cleared following by the defense.
Genesee Valley/Belfast (10-2) on the other hand found themselves in a similar predicament later on in the half with Bayleigh Tallman leading the charge on a run beginning at the 50-yard line. While under possession of the ball, she squibbed a pass to the other side into the right wing for Kayla Wedge, who then sent it back across for a wide open Tallman waiting for it next to the Wellsville cage.
But somehow in miraculous fashion, the ball stayed out of the net and harm’s way for a big Lady Lions clear to keep the score without one on the board going into the break.
The momentum created by the visitors in white and black was carried over into the second half with even more opportunities to strike against the Lady Lions, with the biggest looming from Scott. After the ball was worked around in front of the cage, Scott let the final shot rip, hitting directly off the crossbar and down towards the direction of an awaiting Lydia Kaye in net to pick up and send away in the first 10 minutes.
The visitors carried on with the game’s propulsion firmly in their grasp, as time kept ticking away at their scoreless tie they shared with the Lady Lions. With close to 10 minutes left to play before overtime became a possibility, the biggest moment of the game arose. On one of their final corner kick opportunities, Genesee Valley/Belfast struck gold with Scott’s high lofting shot directly in front of the Wellsville net. One that curled enough towards the near post where it would take a big redirection in front and into the net to become the lone marker the game would see.
From that point forward, the rest laid solely on the shoulders of the Genesee Valley/Belfast defense, as they slammed the door shut on the Lady Lions to secure their 10th win of the season in shutout fashion.
“The girls worked very hard and never gave up all game,” said Lady Lions coach Erica Aftuck. “We had opportunities on offense, but we got very unlucky. Lydia Kaye played a great game in goal, and it was a great game from everyone involved too. We pressured their offense, which made it hard for them to get a decent shot off when they were able. Hopefully this is a positive we can build on in time for the next game this weekend.”
27 combined shots were recorded by both teams, with Genesee Valley/Belfast taking the 14-13 advantage over Wellsville. The win was supplied by Kimme Ball in net for the visitors, making all 13 stops to record the shutout, while Lydia Kaye also made 13 saves for the Lady Lions.
Both teams will meet up once again to finish up their home-at-home series at Judy Bliven Field on Homecoming weekend for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they get set for a 2 p.m. first kick in Belmont on Saturday.
Friendship/Scio 1, Alfred-Almond 0
SCIO — After a pair of shutouts pitched by both Cuba-Rushford and Genesee Valley/Belfast in their last pair of games, Friendship/Scio was on the rebound Wednesday night with a visit from Alfred-Almond in Scio, Wednesday night.
They would engage in a first half battle that saw plenty of opportunity to hold possession. With the time closing in on a scoreless tie going into the halftime break, a massive opportunity beforehand was presented to the hosts in black and yellow.
After a foul inside the Alfred-Almond box, it would set up a penalty kick for Morghyn Ross. On the whistle for play, Ross wasted absolutely no time to break the ice for Friendship/Scio, as she put away what would ultimately serve as the game’s only score to assist in their ascension back to the win column with a 1-0 win over the Lady Eagles.
“We got fouled in the box, and Morghyn knocked it home. She did what she was supposed to do,” Friendship/Scio coach Dillon McFall said. “We had a great first half of soccer, the best half we’ve had in the last couple of games. The second half, we were a bit laxed and Alfred-Almond put it to us. We picked it up after that, and in the last seven, eight minutes, it was anyone’s game. But we were able to keep the zero up there and get the win. That’s a big win for the girls to get that extra point for Sectionals.”
Ross’ massive penalty kick chance came with 10 seconds remaining in the opening half, as she assisted Friendship/Scio (6-4) in avoiding a scoreless tie with Alfred-Almond at the break to record a 1-0 lead they would continuously hold onto from that point forward, despite some pressure by the Lady Eagles across the second half to keep them on their feet.
The goal was scored on five total shots that Friendship/Scio applied against Alfred-Almond, as the visitors recorded a 9-5 outshooting in the shot department.
For Friendship/Scio, Grace Drumm made all nine stops in between the posts to record the big shutout win, while Gracen Dusinberre made three saves for the Lady Eagles.
Friendship/Scio hits the road in a quick turnaround this evening, as they prepare to visit the Hammondsport Lady Lakers in a 6 p.m. first kick.
Bolivar-Richburg 2, Andover/Whitesville 1
BOLIVAR — In a span of 12 minutes, all three goals that were capitalized between both Andover/Whitesville and host Bolivar-Richburg were accounted for in the opening half, Wednesday night at Dunsmore-Latimer Field.
Each team would trade a score approaching the halfway mark, leading up to a midfield fight for possession and the upper hand before the first half officially closed up. With possession being held deep in the Andover/Whitesville zone, the Lady Wolverines made sure they were the team that garnered the upper hand once and for all with the help of Cassidy Stives, as they posted a 2-1 lead and held onto it all the way to the end to claim victory.
The Lady Wolverines (4-6) broke open the contest off an early corner kick set up by Stives, taking a redirection in front of the Andover/Whitesville net until the ball landed on the foot of Sarah Perkins, who knocked it home to the back of the net to grab the lead with 28 minutes left.
Not long after the score, the visitors in white immediately followed up with a score of their own from Alexa Allen, as she tied the game at the 25:29 mark off a deflection in front of the Bolivar-Richburg net.
The game would remain tied leading up to Bolivar-Richburg’s prime chance from the corner just past the midway mark, which was set up by Stives, as she sailed the ball straight towards a mob in front of the Andover/Whitesville (1-8) net.
After taking multiple redirections in front, the ball was eventually dropped back to Stives near the top of the 18, firing a laser to the back of the net soon after to give the Lady Wolverines the lead back.
The lead was held for good, as the Lady Wolverines defense was able to hold their opposition in check the remainder of the way to find their way back into the win column. The hosts in pink scored a 9-3 shot advantage over Andover/Whitesville, with Caitlyn Steiner collecting the win with two saves.
On the other end, Olivia Waters made seven saves for Andover/Whitesville.
Both clubs will return to action after the weekend ahead, as Bolivar-Richburg heads for Wellsville in a 7 p.m. first kick against the Lady Lions on Tuesday, while Andover/Whitesville heads to Hammondsport next Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. contest.
BOYS SOCCER
Livonia 7, Wellsville 0
LIVONIA — One of Class B’s best was simply at their best on their home field Wednesday night, as the Livonia Bulldogs took control of everything they were able to garner against visiting Wellsville, posting a 7-0 home shutout under the lights to remain undefeated on the season with their 11th straight win.
Statistics were not made available to report upon publication.
Wellsville (2-8) will return to action Friday night with a 7 p.m. visit to the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast to take on host Genesee Valley/Belfast.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Cuba-Rushford 3, Wellsville 1
WELLSVILLE — After they rebounded from a back-and-forth opening set to begin the night, the Lady Lions of Wellsville looked to keep the momentum heavily in their favor against the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford on Wednesday. But a complete flip of the script was performed, as the visitors in blue provided a big rebound themselves to put towards a strong four-set finish to claim their fourth win in their first five games by a 25-23, 13-25, 25-18, 25-15.
The Lady Rebels (5-1) saw a strong offensive night arise from both Lauren O’Keefe (five digs, two aces) and Jordyn Radomski (four digs), as the two attackers combined to record 23 kills, with O’Keefe posting 13 game-high kills while Radomski followed with 10.
On special teams, setter Kendall Tompkins was busy on the floor making everything happen, as she handed out 29 helpers to go with four aces, four digs and three kills.
On the other side of the net, the Lady Lions (4-2) were paced by a 13-kill night from Lindsay Stuck on offense, as she added five digs and four aces along the way.
In addition, Averee Palmatier followed up with nine kills, seven digs and an ace, while setter Maddy Parks shelled out 25 assists to go with seven digs and three aces.
Cuba-Rushford will continue their road swing back on the bus tonight with a 7:30 p.m. first serve in Fillmore, while Wellsville looks to regroup with a 7:30 p.m. contest on the road themselves Friday at Genesee Valley/Belfast.
Bolivar-Richburg 3, Houghton Academy 0
HOUGHTON — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg hit all the high notes following their massive collision with Wellsville last week. After being off for nearly a week, they returned to action on Wednesday and picked right back up where they left off at Houghton Academy on Wednesday, as they recorded a straight-set sweep of the Lady Panthers with a 25-17, 25-11, 25-20 win.
Kori Thomas led the forefront of Bolivar-Richburg’s (6-1) attack on the frontlines, as she posted a game-high 12 kills. Following behind was Brena Walp, who added in five digs on defense to go with three aces, while Joey Danaher provided solid service with five more aces.
Houghton Academy (4-4) saw Bella Stevens lead the charge with eight kills and two aces. The Lady Panthers will return to the volleyball court this weekend for tournament action Saturday morning in Warsaw.
Bolivar-Richburg will have a quick turnaround tonight back on their home floor with a 7:30 p.m. visit from Genesee Valley/Belfast.
GIRLS TENNIS
Wellsville 4, Avoca/Prattsburgh 1
PRATTSBURGH — Some strong doubles play by the Lady Lions of Wellsville helped propel another victory on the tennis court Wednesday night over the road, as they brought out the brooms to sweep both matches against Avoca/Prattsburgh to help set up what ultimately became a big 4-1 road win to move to an incredible 12-0 on the season.
In doubles action, the first pairing of Caitlin Bittel and Hanna Miles continued their dominance this season after a lengthy battle with Avoca/Prattsburgh’s Camryn Moore and Gracie Cole that saw them fight back after a 6-2 second set defeat, as they found the last two points in a third-set tiebreak to come away victorious with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win. At second doubles, McKenna Wonderling and Amy Majoros followed up with a 6-1, 6-1 win over the team of Olivia Mullen and Nataley Patoine.
Wellsville (12-0) would collect two more wins in singles competition to finish off their road triumph, with Meagan Riley and Sarah Mattison navigating their way into the win column in straight sets, taking 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-1 decisions over Ginny Savage and Colleen Hammond, respectively.
The Lady Titans garnered just one win at first singles from Genevieve Dabby, who battled through thick and thin alongside Wellsville’s Samantha Bidzerkowny from start to finish, coming away victorious in a second-set tiebreak to claim a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 decision.
The Lady Lions will return to the court on Friday in Naples, where they will meet the Midlakes Lady Screaming Eagles in a 5 p.m. first serve before heading to Canandaigua to partake in Individual Sectionals the following day, on Saturday.
Singles
1. Genevieve Dabby (A/P) def. Samantha Bidzerkowny (WLSV), 6-4, 7-5.
2. Meagan Riley (WLSV) def. Ginny Savage (A/P), 6-1, 6-0.
3. Sarah Mattison (WLSV) def. Colleen Hammond (A/P), 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles
1. Caitlin Bittel/Hanna Miles (WLSV) def. Camryn Moore/Gracie Cole (A/P), 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
2. McKenna Wonderling/Amy Majoros (WLSV) def. Olivia Mullen/Nataley Patoine (A/P), 6-1, 6-1.
