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.