Wednesday Roundup: Young nets first career Varsity marker in GV/Belfast’s rainy 1-0 OT victory over And/Whi; Lady Lions volleyball sweeps A/P to begin 2022 campaign

ANDOVER — For the second time in four days, both Genesee Valley/Belfast and Andover/Whitesville went toe-to-toe after a hard-fought battle in the Championship round went in favor of the hosts back on Saturday.

It was a 2-0 decision that went Genesee Valley/Belfast’s way to capture the tournament crown behind a pair of Hannah Southwick-Powers goals early on in the first half. This time around in an even more defensive game all across the midfield, she would help provide a helping marker on the game’s lone goal. In overtime.

The recipient was Whitney Young. What a time to score your first career goal.

Just over halfway through the first overtime period, Southwick-Powers carried the ball deep into the Andover/Whitesville zone and into the corner, where a pass was dished along to Young. The pass was settled before a game-winning shot straight into the net was delivered on target, as Genesee Valley/Belfast, through a messy Wednesday evening in the rain, captured the 1-0 shutout win in extra time.

“We told the girls before overtime to come out hungry in the first five minutes. They did not disappoint,” said GV/Belfast co-coach Duane Powers. “Hannah got the ball deep from center, into the corner and served up a gorgeous ball over to Whitney. She showed some great patience and composure settling the ball down to score that goal. For a freshman to do that, that was really impressive.”

It was mainly a defensive battle once more between both squads that saw a ton of chances on goal along the way. Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-0) had the bulk of those chances, posting 16 shots on the Andover/Whitesville cage, allowing just five shots back the other way on defense.

Despite all the chances, both teams would remain scoreless across the board up until the first overtime, where the game finally saw its lone goal from Young, who ended the game with four minutes left in the first overtime.

The win in goal was credited to Ashley Burrows, who made all five saves for Genesee Valley/Belfast to record her third straight shutout. Olivia Waters made 15 saves for Andover/Whitesville (0-2-1), who will return to action back in Whitesville on Friday to host Bolivar-Richburg in a 5 p.m. contest.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will go for four straight wins to start the season on Saturday, as they travel to Alfred-Almond for an 10 a.m. first kick.

Way-Co Tourney

Canisteo-Greenwood 1, Wellsville 0

COHOCTON — Some messy conditions on the playing surface can change the dynamic of a game rather quickly. But on Wednesday for Canisteo-Greenwood and Wellsville, both teams fought an incredible, defensive battle despite it.

Because of it, just a single goal would find its way into the back of the net. It would come from Sarah Coddington, as she was able to escape the grasp of the Lady Lions defense in the offensive zone, putting her shot into the net in the late stages of the opening half to give Canisteo-Greenwood the room they needed to work with to survive the first round war with Wellsville in a 1-0 shutout at the Cohocton Sports Complex.

“I feel like if we had 10 more minutes, we could have tied the game,” said Lady Lions coach Erica Aftuck. “It’s early in the season and this team is so coachable, and they are all eager to improve. Every girl hustles and works hard, and they’ve become a great group. Makenna (Dunbar) bailed us out with some incredible saves in the first half in the midst of the struggle early on. We had some trouble marking up, getting a feel for the field. The second half was much better. We had more opportunities on offense, and we defended much better.”

The Lady Redskins put down the gas early on in the opening half, applying all the pressure they could against the Lady Lions (0-2-1) defense. The opportunities against them would see Makenna Dunbar make a bundle of saves before one ultimately found its way in with six minutes remaining, as Coddington put Canisteo-Greenwood ahead with a first half lead to work with.

In the second half, it was Wellsville’s turn to try and respond. For much of the time spent, they would counter the Lady Redskins attack with multiple opportunities of their own. But at the end of time, the Lady Lions could not find the equalizer to match them, allowing Canisteo-Greenwood to hold on and advance into Friday’s Championship game.

Dunbar was excellent in between the pipes for the Lady Lions, making 30 saves. The Lady Lions on offense would finish the evening with eight shots.

Wellsville will return to Cohocton on Friday for Consolation round action, as they prepare to face host Wayland-Cohocton in a 5 p.m. opening kick.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Avoca/Prattsburgh 0

WELLSVILLE — Among one of the final teams remaining to mark their debut this Fall season on the volleyball court was the Wellsville Lady Lions. Their turn to do just that came on their home floor, Wednesday night by welcoming the Avoca/Prattsburgh Lady Titans into town for a visit into the Den.

With some back and forth volleyball being exchanged by the two clubs to start the evening off, the Lady Lions would navigate their way through dominantly. After an 11-9 lead, the hosts in black and orange would go on to score a 14-6 run of the Lady Titans, which would ultimately help them set the tone on what was a straight-set win, taking the 25-15, 25-13, 25-13 triumph to open the new campaign.

The offense and service were on point for Wellsville (1-0) all across the match, with Morgaen Howe leading the charge on the attack with a team-high five kills to pair with a duo of aces. From the service line, Lindsey Stuck provided six aces to go with one kill, while Bryanna Moultrup added in four more aces of her own to go with two kills. Setter Maddy Parks handed out eight assists while collecting six aces in addition.

Stats for Avoca/Prattsburgh were not made available to report.

The Lady Lions will head for Campbell-Savona to partake in tournament action, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. Their regular season will resume on Tuesday, visiting Houghton Academy for a 6 p.m. contest.

Canisteo-Greenwood 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

CANISTEO — Genesee Valley/Belfast gave host Canisteo-Greenwood an early run in the night’s opening set on Wednesday. Both teams would deliver a fair exchange of back-and-forth points from start to finish, until the Lady Redskins navigated their way out on top to garner the early lead.

The finish would allow the Lady Redskins to gain a swing of momentum going forward the rest of the match, putting the hammer down on their visiting opposition to record a straight-set sweep, taking the ultimate 25-23, 25-12, 25-14 decision for themselves.

Despite the defeat, Kendra Bigelow provided a solid night on the floor for Genesee Valley/Belfast on offense, recording a team-high four kills to go with four digs and a pair of aces. Raygen Haggstrom chipped in with three more kills of her own to pair with two aces, while the team’s setter in Cassidy Hand handed out six assists along with two additional aces from the service line.

Up next for Genesee Valley/Belfast is a trip back home, as they prepare to host the defending Class D3 Champion Fillmore Lady Eagles in a 7:30 p.m. first serve, Friday night.