Photos and stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
In fight for Allegany County girls soccer supremacy, defending State Finalist Fillmore hands C-R 1st regulation loss of season behind Miller, Ross in 2-0 Homecoming blank
FILLMORE — Both the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford and the Lady Eagles of Fillmore have gotten to taste that sweet, sweet feeling of victory a whole lot.
Excluding a 2-2 tie early on against Genesee Valley/Belfast, the Lady Rebels have glamorously navigated their way to the highest point of the Allegany County mountain to take their seat right next to the defending Class D State Finalists, three weeks into the Fall campaign.
Each team has proceeded to enumerate seven trips to the win column, aiding in their traversal towards a mid-season clash of epic proportion.
In short: The race for supremacy was on.
Following a quick rampage out of the gate for one team, the momentum subsided and then tilted into the direction of the other. With the Lady Rebels doing everything in their power to smash through a stout Fillmore defense, the Lady Eagles in return never managed to break one bit across the second half.
As a result, their rapid start in the first five minutes was upheld as the contest’s difference maker, as Tenlee Miller and Morghyn Ross went back-to-back to double their advantage against Cuba-Rushford instantaneously, as they remained Allegany County’s last undefeated girls soccer team standing on Saturday to complete a perfect Homecoming sweep on their home field with a 2-0 edge, handing the Lady Rebels their first regulation loss.
“What a great atmosphere and great game for all involved tonight. Cuba-Rushford is the real deal, and thankfully for us, we came out on fire,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. “We’ve continuously been bringing a big effort every game, but we aren’t always executing. Today, we played one of our best games from beginning to end with composure and a bit of sophistication. We had a special night honoring our former alumni with over 30 former players in attendance. We also recognized our 1984 and 1999 teams. I couldn’t be more pleased with how our night transpired. We are 8-0 halfway through the season, and we have a lot to be thankful for.”
That energetic inferno for the Lady Eagles (8-0) offense witnessed its spark catch fire immediately in the first five minutes of play, setting up shop for both Miller and Ross to lay the lumber down. Miller was first, as she gave them the lead just 1:14 removed from the kick at midfield, beginning off a Kallie Pastorius rush into the Cuba-Rushford zone.
Pastorius advanced past a trio of Lady Rebels (7-1-1) defenders before letting a hard shot rocket in off Annaleece Melton in between the posts, which caused a loose rebound to become available for the hosts in green. With it, Miller was right on the doorstep to knock home the follow-up shot for the early lead.
Fillmore stomped down on the gas again three minutes later after a tangle-up outside the Cuba-Rushford box, resulting in a direct kick near the top of the 18. A very short moment after the whistle was blown, Morghyn Ross raced in to place the ball, and then promptly delivered an absolutely perfect strike to the top right corner of the far post to double their lead.
The momentum the Lady Eagles had built would remain in their possession for the remainder of the first half, using a combination of finesse on offense to keep the ball away from the visitors in white and blue, and a strong defensive stand on the opposite end of the field to keep their opportunities limited.
But in the second half, the Lady Rebels showed no signs of putting their head down, as they then took advantage of the gameplay on the field by applying all the pressure possible against the Lady Eagles defense off rushes conducted by Cloey Larabee and Aubrey Williams on the frontlines.
The majority of those chances were ultimately lassoed and steered away by the hosts, as they sustained every bit of pressure they faced to remain in control of their own destiny until the final horn sounded on their eventual victory at the conclusion of the night.
For Beardsley, he couldn’t be any prouder of his defensive stance against a speedy and tactical Lady Rebels squad.
“I know some might think our second half was different from the first half, maybe because of our offensive opportunities, but I thought our defense in the second half and our game tactics were spot on as far as how to finish out a game with a 2-0 lead,” he said. “I thought we were a bit more in control mentally in the last 40 minutes than we were in the first 40. Soccer can be funny that way, but I thought we managed the game very, very well to close out things.”
The Lady Eagles possessed a 10-5 advantage in the shot department against the Lady Rebels, with Grace Clark making all five saves to record one of the biggest shutouts of the season for the team.
As for the visitors, Melton finished with eight saves.
Both teams will return to the pitch over the road on Tuesday, with Fillmore looking to continue their surge into Andover for a 6 p.m. visit against Andover/Whitesville, while Cuba-Rushford takes aim at a bounce back with a 5 p.m. trip to Bolivar-Richburg.
Boys story and more Allegany County action after photo gallery:
Saturday Roundup: Fillmore makes most of chances, net goals off penalty kick, direct kick to score Homecoming win over C-R; Houghton nets 12 to win 7th straight, Lady Eagles volleyball, tennis triumph
FILLMORE — Opportunity is everything.
There will be games where you are given plenty of them, and there will be games where you will find yourself restricted from them. Across the majority of a Homecoming evening in Fillmore, in a battle between two reigning Section V champions from last season, it was the latter.
In an all-out blitz for possession in the midfield, along with strong defensive stands to keep the ball cleared away from danger, the ice on the playing surface remained crystallized.
In the second half, more of the same effect. But between it all, two pauses in the action gave the Eagles a chance to turn the tide completely. Those being a penalty kick and a direct kick straight in front of the Cuba-Rushford goal.
Sam Cool and Judah Russell both would not let those opportunities slip through their grasp, as they each knocked in a gigantic marker to take a scoreless defensive battle and turn it into a 2-0 Homecoming victory over the Rebels.
“A job well done by Cuba-Rushford tonight. They are well-coached and they always work hard to try to play solid, foundational soccer. It was a very even game. We were just fortunate to capitalize on a couple of opportunities,” said Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg. “I’m proud of the boys for getting the job done on Homecoming. Like most of our games this season, the play was really even. My hat goes off to our defensive corps of Ezra (Knapp), Braylon (Hatch), Connor (McCumiskey) and Jack (Boon) as well as Brayden Hennard for securing the shutout.”
There was plenty of speed showcased in the first half to help the offenses get their feet wet, with plenty of trips into their respective opponent’s zones developing along the way. Despite some slight pressure build-up against one another, there were no imminent opportunities for either side to break through the ice, as both teams went into the break without a score to be had on the board.
In the second half however, the Eagles (5-1-2) received a couple of massive game-changing opportunities to try and tilt the balance of power in their direction. Their first came just four minutes removed from the kick at midfield, as a corner kick belted into the box from Ezra Knapp was met with a Rebels hand, which paused play for a penalty kick.
Sam Cool was elected to take the shot, and with it, he fired a missile directly underneath the body of Rebels (3-4-1) goalkeeper Caleb Elliott and straight down the middle of the cage to put the finishing touches on the game’s first strike.
After more clashing through the midfield for possession resumed following the penalty kick, the Eagles maintained control and received yet another chance to deliver a devastating blow. With 23:20 to go, a foul was called against Cuba-Rushford just outside the penalty box, establishing a direct kick at the top of the 18.
Head coach Jarrett Vosburg signaled for Judah Russell to take the kick, and without hesitation, airmailed his ball directly over a wall of Rebels 10 yards in front of him and over the head of Elliott in goal to double Fillmore’s lead.
“I was happy to see set pieces make an impact, obviously with Sam’s penalty kick off the handball in the box and Judah’s beauty of a direct kick. Judah played a whale of a game for us tonight, stepping up as a young freshman to fill a big role in the center of the field during the second half.” said Vosburg.
The pair of strikes for the Eagles stemmed off just four shots they applied all game against Cuba-Rushford, with the Rebels securing the overall 5-4 advantage. All five of those stops were met by the hands of Brayden Hennard, as he secured the shutout.
As for the Rebels keep, Elliott went on to make two saves.
Both teams will march their way back onto the field Monday night in a pair of 5 p.m. contests, with Fillmore heading to Whitesville to meet Andover/Whitesville, while Cuba-Rushford goes back home to welcome in Bolivar-Richburg.
Houghton Academy 12, Jasper-Troupsburg 1
HOUGHTON — The Panthers of Houghton Academy brought the thunder and lightning on an overcast Saturday afternoon back outdoors, as the offense pounced right from the start with a 19-shot outburst against visiting Jasper-Troupsburg.
Of those shots, 12 of them found the back of the net — five of them from the leg of Huy Ho, to lead the offense, as they cruised towards a 12-1 win over the Wildcats.
Ho was one of three Houghton Academy (7-2) players to record at least a hat trick in the contest, with Josh Davidson and David Jatta also netting three goals. In addition, Davidson handed out three assists to conclude a nine-point game, while Jatta had one to hand out. Jack Prentice scored once and recorded an assist, while John Habecker and Jae Masiza each had a helper.
In goal, Jerry Pham recorded the win with five saves out of six total shots faced for the Panthers.
For Jasper-Troupsburg, Braylon Lawson netted the team’s lone goal, while Zachary Hyman made seven saves in goal.
The search for eight straight victories for Houghton Academy rages on after the weekend, as they now get set to host Genesee Valley/Belfast on Monday in a 5 p.m. contest.
GIRLS SOCCER
Perry 1, Andover/Whitesville 0
PERRY — The Lady Yellowjackets of Perry were limited by visiting Andover/Whitesville to just four shots on the attack.
But one of those wound up serving as the difference maker that determined the outcome of the game at the end of it all, as they scored in the middle stages of the opening half and held it under control to pick up the 1-0 shutout on Saturday.
Joanna Campbell was the recipient of what served as the game’s lone goal for Perry, as she connected with Olivia Swyers on the marker ringing in at the 24-minute mark of the opening half.
The hosts in blue and yellow were able to hang onto their lead, despite a late second half surge from Andover/Whitesville (2-7), who posted five of their seven total shots in the last 40 minutes of play.
Olivia Waters put a stop to three shots she faced in goal for the visitors.
Andover/Whitesville will look to regroup for their next battle on Tuesday, as they head home to Andover to host Fillmore in a 6 p.m. contest.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Fillmore 3, Hinsdale 0
FILLMORE — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore supplied the strongest of starts to their game on Homecoming Saturday, as they set the tone out of the gate to assemble what was a straight-set win over the visiting Lady Bobcats of Hinsdale, scoring the 25-8, 25-12, 25-9 win in The Rock.
The Lady Eagles (6-3) were fronted by Mya Keeler, who recorded three kills and a pair of aces. Adding more help along the way was Chloe Hennard, who chipped in with three more aces from the back line.
Statistics for Hinsdale (1-5) were not made available to report upon publication.
Both teams are back on the floor Monday night, with Fillmore traveling for a 7 p.m. visit to Arkport-Canaseraga, while Hinsdale heads back home to host Keshequa in a 7:30 p.m. first serve.
GIRLS TENNIS
Fillmore 3, Wayland-Cohocton 2
HOUGHTON — It was one, busy Saturday in and around the Fillmore community, as the school celebrated their annual Homecoming weekend with every single sport imaginable taking center stage. The day began with a tennis clash down the road at Houghton University, and then closing out with girls volleyball later in the afternoon, and then soccer in the evening.
As for the tennis match, Fillmore locked horns with Wayland-Cohocton from start to finish, with multiple matches seeing sets of action that were decided by three points or less, including a marathon second doubles match that elapsed two hours to determine the winner of the match.
In the end, it was an incredible comeback from Gretta Kettinger and Summer Friedl that ruled the day for host Fillmore, as they kicked off Homecoming weekend with a bang in what was a 3-2 match victory.
“It was a great team win on Homecoming,” Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “Claire (Schilke) got us started with a great win at first, and our top doubles team, Kirra (Bentley) and Lena (Tucker), played their most complete match of the year. The big highlight was the two-hour epic comeback at second doubles. Summer and Greta were actually down three match points in the second set and clawed their way back into it to win the tiebreaker. They then dug deep and played a great third set to clinch their match and the team win.”
Kettinger and Friedl had the match of the morning for Fillmore (4-4), as the two Lady Eagles came back and delivered a knockout punch in the last two sets of play, including an incredible second-set comeback that featured a 7-5 win in a tiebreak. They went on to take the victory away from Wayland-Cohocton’s Ruby Yacono and Grace Bondgren by a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 count.
The first doubles team of Kirra Bentley and Lena Tucker rounded off the doubles sweep for Fillmore, coming away triumphant in a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Harlee Grodis and Cora Hosmer. Fillmore also collected a big singles win from Claire Schilke in dominant fashion, as she rolled past Virginia Carr with a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Wayland-Cohocton collected both of their wins in the singles department, with Ava Senka outlasting Fillmore’s Molly Mahoney, 6-4, 6-3 at second singles, while Lillian Scholtes squeezed past Indigo Knapp at third singles with a first-set edge and then a second-set shutout to claim the 6-4, 6-0 win.
The Lady Eagles will now get set to host doubleheader action on Monday right back at Houghton University, as they take on Alfred-Almond at 5 p.m.
Singles
1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Virginia Carr (W-C), 6-0, 6-1.
2. Ava Senka (W-C) def. Molly Mahoney (FIL), 6-4, 6-3.
3. Lillian Scholtes (W-C) def. Indigo Knapp (FIL), 6-4, 6-0.
Doubles
1. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL) def. Harlee Grodis/Cora Hosmer (W-C), 6-2, 6-2.
2. Greta Kettinger/Summer Friedl (FIL) def. Ruby Yacono/Grace Bondgren (W-C), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
