Friday Roundup: Fillmore girls net 6 unanswered in gigantic 7-3 comeback over GV/Belfast; Lady Rebels storm back in 2nd half vs Wellsville, outlast challenge from Lady Lions with 3-2 win

BELFAST — Some exciting, thrilling and competitive battles can unfold between Fillmore and Genesee Valley/Belfast, whenever they manage to get together outdoors on the pitch. In fact, it can get pretty wild.

Friday night at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, it was indeed absolutely wild.

Between both teams, an electric and manic first half unraveled across all angles of the pitch. The offenses conducted business, the defenses were as tough as nails. And through it all, a combined 10 goals found its way into the back of the net when the night came to a close. Early on in the first half, Genesee Valley/Belfast worked their way out to a start they absolutely wanted to have against the defending Class D State Finalist Lady Eagles.

Through a multitude of opportunities to score, they were able to knock three of them into the back of the Fillmore net to claim a two-goal advantage, placing the Lady Eagles in a rare position going into the halftime recess — behind the eight ball. That up-started a conversation amongst the Lady Eagles themselves.

When the break ended, a category five hurricane made landfall.

The Lady Eagles turned the game inside out and upside down in the blink of an eye. Not only did they complete a monstrous and staggering comeback, but they managed to do it at a high rate of speed, scoring not one, nor two or three, but six second half goals — five of them coming in a span of just 10 minutes to take a 3-1 deficit and transform it into a 3-0 start to their campaign with a 7-3 victory.

“This game had a bit of everything,” Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley said. “Genesee Valley/Belfast had us rattled and uncertain in the first half. Some might ask what was said at halftime, but in all honesty, it was the girls that did the talking and I just confirmed and agreed with what they said. We agreed that we needed to turn our speaking into existence. All the credit goes to the girls on that second half performance. I was really proud of them for responding the way that they did. So many different kids rose to the occasion when they had every opportunity to fold.”

Before all of the second half pyrotechnics began to ignite, the Lady Eagles (3-0) had to work their way back from behind after an aggressive and swift start from Genesee Valley/Belfast, seeing many prime opportunities come to light before they ultimately cashed in on their first in the opening 10 minutes of play. The hosts were awarded a direct kick from nearly 30 yards away from the Fillmore cage, but it was no problem for Danika Scott to knock in, as she airmailed her shot straight into the net to break the ice immediately.

Not long after that score, the Lady Eagles maneuvered the momentum in their favor with two brilliant chances of their own, led by Morghyn Ross and her perfectly-placed direct kick that nearly spun its way into the net next to the far post. The push continued right after that opportunity with their game-tying response, as Kallie Pastorius picked up possession directly in the middle of the Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-1-1) cage and rifled it home top shelf just past midway in the frame.

Genesee Valley/Belfast wouldn’t allow that charge of momentum to build for Fillmore, as they took the lead back with 10:34 left in the half, as a throw-in from the near sideline split a pair of Lady Eagles defenders and right to Hannah Southwick-Powers on the run. Going up field, she worked the ball to Sophie Zillgitt, putting a hard shot straight on net, creating a loose rebound next to the far post for Madison Yackeren to put away with ease.

Following another potential game-tying sequence that Fillmore could not convert on one end of the pitch, Southwick-Powers managed to find the scoresheet herself by representing the opening stanza’s final goal with 3:22 left on the clock, as she connected with Bayleigh Tallman from beside her, switching gears with the ball and poking a shot home to the near post for a 3-1 lead going into the break.

But then, the momentum changed drastically.

Just inside of the first 10 minutes in the second half, Fillmore strapped in and went to work. All six of the team’s second half goals were supplied by the Miller siblings — Mylee and Tenlee, with Mylee netting two of them herself (49th and 59th minutes) while handing out one assist to Morghyn Ross (57th minute), while Tenlee scored one and dished out three big assists to Brooklynn Templeton (50th minute), her sister Mylee (59th minute) and Grace Walton (74th minute) on their final goal of the game.

The Lady Eagles would also keep Genesee Valley/Belfast frozen on offense. Following seven shots for each team across the opening 40 minutes, they would limit them to just two more in the next, as they outshot their opposition by a 16-9 count. In goal, Grace Clark picked up the victory behind six saves, while Charisma Metatos made nine stops for the hosts in black and gray.

Coming up after the weekend, Fillmore will look for a fourth straight win to open the season on Tuesday when they visit Wellsville for a 7 p.m. contest, while Genesee Valley/Belfast looks to get back on track with a 5 p.m. battle at Arkport-Canaseraga on Monday.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Wellsville 2

CUBA — From within a packed crowd of contests that went past regulation time back on Wednesday, both Wellsville and Cuba-Rushford endured a tremendous amount of fortitude in their respective contests, with the Lady Lions coming off a 2-1 win over Port Allegany and the Lady Rebels battling towards a hard-fought 2-2 tie with Genesee Valley/Belfast.

To help close out the week on Friday, the two foes looked to keep their foot down on the gas pedal when they collided in Cuba for their first battle of the season.

Across the first half of play, the momentum teeter-tottered between both teams, witnessing an overpowering start from one side before a strong finish to the half for the other soon took over. In the second half, it could have gone either way, as both the Lady Lions and Lady Rebels raced back-and-forth all the way down to the wire.

But when the opportunity arose, Jen Tuttle was there to make it happen.

With less than three minutes to go, and the pressure continuing to mount more and more, the Cuba-Rushford junior ate it all up and helped give her team the lead one more time, scoring the most clutch of goals to help finish off a three-goal, second half resurgence for the Lady Rebels to remain undefeated on the young season with a 3-2 edge over Wellsville.

“I’m really proud of how we responded in the second half,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “I know both teams just came off of an overtime game, and this one was another one of those battles. We showed some guts, especially after they tied it late in the second half. Both teams had some spells where they controlled the game. It really was back and forth, through and through. It’s been a battle almost every game we’ve played them the last few years. Tonight’s did not disappoint.”

The Lady Rebels (3-0-1) were the first to seize control of the action on the pitch in the first half, escalating the momentum by activating a great deal of passing, along with a stellar display of defense to keep Wellsville pinned on their side of the field. There were chances that formulated for the offense to take advantage of, but an active Lydia Kaye in between the posts for the Lady Lions, halted the Lady Rebels each time.

Later on, the Lady Lions (3-2) had their moment in the sun to twist the momentum in their favor, especially in the last 10 minutes of the opening half, with the efforts of Talia O’Connor, Jaden Dunbar and Lexi Aftuck all helping lead the charge on the offensive front. The pressure would ultimately break through for the visitors in white and orange with 3:30 left to play, as a collision in front of the Cuba-Rushford net allowed Raegan Vogel to step up and take charge, airlifting a long-range bomb straight into a wide open cage for a 1-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Cuba-Rushford returned to the pitch refreshed and roaring to go, as they immediately assumed control of possession again. This time, striking quickly, as Cloey Larabee went back-to-back for the Lady Rebels to take a 1-0 deficit and turn it into a 2-1 lead in a matter of just two minutes, with her first stemming off a cross provided by Lily Tompkins off to her right before taking matters into her own hands on a rush back up the far sideline to give them the lead.

The advantage would remain frozen in place until the Lady Lions built another abundance of pressure against the Lady Rebels, as Jaden Dunbar found Emily Stuck with a pass on the right side of the net to tie the game at two with 16:04 left to go.

But with 2:15 left to play, the Lady Rebels found their way back to the net one more time against Wellsville, as Tuttle struck gold with the game-winning goal off a pass to the right side by Molly Kunz, one-timing it home to keep a brilliant start to the campaign off and running for the hosts in blue and gray.

Both teams recorded 12 shots on their opposing cages, but the win belonged to Annaleece Melton in between the posts behind 10 great stops against the Lady Lions, while Lydia Kaye made nine saves for the visitors.

Next up on Tuesday, both teams make their return to the field with Cuba-Rushford hitting the road for a 5 p.m. first kick against Friendship/Scio in Friendship, while Wellsville heads back home for a colossal 7 p.m. clash with the defending Class D State Finalist Fillmore Lady Eagles.

Bolivar-Richburg 1, Andover/Whitesville 0 (F-OT)

BOLIVAR — All that was needed at the end of the night was just a single goal, as Dunsmore-Latimer Field witnessed the first overtime game of the season for both Andover/Whitesville and Bolivar-Richburg unravel before their eyes to decide it all going into the weekend, Friday evening.

Opportunities were limited at times, but both teams had their fair share of them across a major bundle of time. After regulation could not decide a winner, it was up to extra time to present its case. And on their fifth and final shot of the night, the host Lady Wolverines struck gold with the aid of Cassidy Stives, who made the most of it on special teams to end the scoreless bug to lay claim on a 1-0 shutout of Andover/Whitesville.

The score for Stives came with 7:52 remaining in overtime, as Bolivar-Richburg (2-2) was presented with a massive corner kick opportunity deep in the Andover/Whitesville zone. Setting up the kick from the corner was Teegan Sibble, and with it, a strong boot to the front of the cage was met almost immediately with a redirection applied by Stives into the net, finishing off the night on the most positive of notes behind their one-goal win.

Despite the win, Bolivar-Richburg was outshot by Andover/Whitesville (0-4) on offense, as they took a 9-5 advantage. All nine of the shots for the visitors were met with saves by Rylee Whiting, en route towards a strong shutout performance in between the posts. For Andover/Whitesville, Olivia Waters went on to make five saves.

The Lady Wolverines are back on the pitch tonight with a 6 p.m. visit to Alfred-Almond, while Andover/Whitesville heads home to Whitesville to welcome in visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast for a 5 p.m. visit on Tuesday.

Friendship/Scio 2, Jasper-Troupsburg 0

SCIO — Striking while the iron is scalding hot is as good of a momentum builder than anything.

Friendship/Scio did not want to waste time by any means doing just that on Friday, looking to Jadyn Nickerson to deliver the goods against visiting Jasper-Troupsburg, as she scored both of the team’s goals in a rapid succession to give them an advantage they never relinquished, allowing them score what ultimately became a 2-0 victory in Scio.

After an early battle that saw them take control, Friendship/Scio (2-2) managed to crack through the Jasper-Troupsburg defense very quickly in the first 10 minutes and change in the first half, with Nickerson finding the back of the net both times. Her first score would circulate around a pass directed by Mercedes Fanton before taking matters into her own hands just 50 seconds later to double their lead the remainder of the way.

From that point onward, the Friendship/Scio defense would buckle down and limit anything the Lady Wildcats would push forward up the field, allowing just three shots to reach Avery Lamberson in between the posts, as she recorded the shutout victory behind three saves.

As for the offenses, the hosts went on to outshoot the visitors by a massive 26-3 count.

Friendship/Scio will look to eclipse the .500 mark of the young season come Tuesday night back home in Friendship, welcoming in the Cuba-Rushford Lady Rebels for a 5 p.m. contest.

GIRLS TENNIS

Fillmore 3, Addison 2

HOUGHTON — It was a dominant display of tennis across all three singles matches for the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, as the trio of Claire Schilke, Molly Mahoney and Indigo Knapp all fought a tough, competitive battle against their respective opponents on Friday at Houghton University to come away victorious by clinching the match for team in a 3-2 decision over visiting Addison.

“Our three singles players came up huge tonight,” said Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch. “Indie got another great win, Molly has been solid at second singles and played really well against a quality opponent. She moved well tonight and wore her opponent down. Claire really played a complete match. (Alex) Boutelle is a backboard and just returns everything that is given to her. Claire really constructed points and played as well as I’ve seen the last two years.”

All three singles victories for Fillmore (2-2) were not easy to capture by any means, with Claire Schilke leading the way at first singles with a tough and gritty 6-3, 6-3 victory over Addison’s Alex Boutelle. Molly Mahoney dug in early on in her second singles matchup, weaving her way through a first-set tiebreaker to put towards a strong finish in what was a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Claire Thompson. At third singles, Indigo Knapp managed to outlast a challenge issued by Kaylee Keech, claiming the 6-4, 6-2 win.

Down in the doubles department, the Lady Eagles worked mercilessly to stay on the winning end of the pendulum, but Addison managed to sneak out with a pair of three-set victories, as Kirra Bentley and Lena Tucker were downed in a back-and-forth affair at first singles by the Lady Knights duo of Zadie Vitulli and Leah Baker (6-4, 4-6, 6-1), while the doubles team of Greta Kettinger and Summer Friedl fell in a late two-set comeback to Gracie Davis and Chelsea Keech, downed by a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 count.

Fillmore will look to pop up over .500 on the young season right back on their home court at Houghton University on Monday, hosting the Canisteo-Greenwood Lady Chargers in a 5 p.m. first serve.

Singles

1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Alex Boutelle (ADD), 6-3, 6-3.

2. Molly Mahoney (FIL) def. Claire Thompson (ADD), 7-5, 6-1.

3. Indigo Knapp (FIL) def. Kaylee Keech (ADD), 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles

1. Zadie Vitulli/Leah Baker (ADD) def. Kirra Bentley/Lena Tucker (FIL), 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.

2. Gracie Davis/Chelsea Keech (ADD) def. Greta Kettinger/Summer Friedl (FIL), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.