Harris Siblings, Ferris provide spark for No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg offense to power toward Quarters with 3-0 home shutout of No. 12 Cuba-Rushford

Bolivar-Richburg sophomore McKinlee Harris (6) controls the ball while under pressure from the defense of Cuba-Rushford senior Hailey Kumpf (13) during Tuesday Night’s Class C2 First Round battle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

The Lady Wolverines celebrate their third goal of the game scored by senior Kelsey Ferris (15) during the late stages of the second half in their 3-0 shutout victory over Cuba-Rushford in the opening round of their Class C2 matchup Tuesday night in Bolivar. Bolivar-Richburg will return to Dunsmore-Latimer Field to face No. 13 Pavilion in the Quarterfinal round, Friday night. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Cuba-Rushford sophomore Taylor Searle (23) and junior Elysa Tylor (20), along with Bolivar-Richburg junior Raina Bowen (8), joust for the loose ball near the sidelines during Tuesday night’s Class C2 First Round battle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg sophomore Malayna Ayers (23) and Cuba-Rushford senior Hailey Kumpf (13) prepare to collide for the loose ball near midfield during Tuesday night’s Class C2 First Round battle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg senior Kelsey Pacer (10) and Cuba-Rushford freshman Shae Maples (7) joust for the loose ball just past midfield during Tuesday night’s Class C2 First Round battle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Cuba-Rushford senior Leah Fuller (16) looks to take the possession down the field, as Bolivar-Richburg senior Nichole Davis (4) defends during Tuesday night’s Class C2 First Round battle in Bolivar. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Bolivar-Richburg senior Aliyah Cole prepares to throw the ball back in play during Tuesday night’s Class C2 First Round battle against Cuba-Rushford. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

BOLIVAR — When the condensed Sectional brackets were fully released after the weekend, longtime Bolivar-Richburg girls soccer head coach Mark Emery took a look at the draw his team received.

The 8-3-1 Lady Wolverines were given the number five seed for the Class C2 Tournament. On the other side of Tuesday’s first round matchup was the No. 12 seed. An all familiar opponent they have faced twice already this season - Cuba-Rushford.

The Lady Rebels fell to Bolivar-Richburg right at the beginning of the season in a shutout over the road in Bolivar, but more recently, forced a tie back home with the Lady Wolverines right before the regular season came to a close. Emery says that his opposition possesses all the elements for success in providing a tough first round challenge.

“A lot of credit goes to Cuba-Rushford, Aaron (Wight) does a wonderful job with them, he really does,” he said. “I said to him yesterday that in my mind, they were a tough draw in this first round. The first one, I don't care what sport it is or how honed in you are, the first Sectional game always provides some sort of challenge. I wasn't confused, this is three times we've played Cuba-Rushford this year. They have all the elements over there. Luckily last time over there, they had it all together, especially their finishing to force that tie.”

Through most of that first half, the challenge was provided by the Lady Rebels, keeping the score filled with zeroes as both teams were engaging in a midfield battle. Ultimately, it was a battle that saw the Lady Wolverines take control over through the majority of the frame, scoring multiple chances but could not break through the ice.

But with under a minute remaining in the first half, a spark was created. Paid in part by McKinlee Harris.

The Bolivar-Richburg sophomore made the wait for a goal worthwhile with seconds left in the half, as she connected on a big goal to give a boost of momentum to her squad going into the half, which led to two more goals being scored in the last 40 minutes of play to extend their lead on the Lady Rebels for good to move on into the Quarterfinal round this weekend with a 3-0 shutout of Cuba-Rushford.

“McKinlee comes up with that first goal, and collectively, the team took a nice breath,” said Emery. “I felt like then, especially on offense, things were clicking a bit better. For such a young player, we put quite a burden on her. That's when your players show up when the game is on the line, when they need to grab the game and put it on their back. Relentless pursuit, relentless on the attack.”

Harris’ goal comes amidst a dominant first half by the Lady Wolverines (9-3-1) on offense, as they spent most of their time keeping the Cuba-Rushford defense occupied in their zone by applying multiple chances on cage. The best chance of the half right before the goal came from a long dribble 30 yards down the field by Kelsey Pacer, taking a shot to the far post but was just inches wide of finding the favorable bounce into the net off the post.

But Harris would get the Lady Wolverines on the board with 14 seconds remaining in the opening half, as she delivered a corner kick in front of the net which took a Cuba-Rushford (1-8-2) redirection into the goal next to the far post to give the hosts a one-goal lead heading into halftime.

“As the game progressed, I was a little tense because the ball wasn't going in,” Emery said. “When you're around this long enough, and that many times the ball doesn't go in, you think the worst. You know there's a limited number, but it's been like this all season. Tonight, we had the better half of things when we finally cracked through.”

The late first half goal would create a spark for the Bolivar-Richburg offense, as they created even more chances on the Lady Rebels cage. They would find a way to crack through again with a big goal to branch their lead to a pair, with Madigan Harris providing the opportunity after receiving a long pass from behind by Kelsey Pacer, delivering a shot to the far post right past a diving Tara Duvall for a 2-0 lead.

A short time later, the game was put on ice. Just four minutes later, Kelsey Ferris added to the offensive efforts with a goal of her own, as she managed to dig the ball loose in the midst of a massive scrum in front of the Cuba-Rushford goal, scoring to the far post to seal the deal on the victory. Paityn Johnston was given credit for the assist on the first goal of the season for Ferris.

In turn on the defensive side of the spectrum, they held the Lady Rebels in check across all phases in the entire 80 minute stand. And it was something that the longtime Lady Wolverines head coach said, was an absolute gamechanger.

“Defensively tonight, we think of unsung heroes,” Emery said. “Aliyah (Cole) doesn't get the credit she deserves as our sweeper. They're the non-flashy positions, her and Jessica Majot back there, Braelin Bentley too. The defensive set for us, we've been playing a bit better every game. The difference was sure we scored, but the defense shut them down, aside from one off-guard chance that we got. We had some unlucky moments, but some of that doubles back on the defense to keep Cuba-Rushford still. It's a big sigh of relief.”

The Lady Wolverines took the overall 19-4 advantage in the shot department, with Paige Taylor getting the shutout in goal by making all four stops she saw on goal. On the other side, Duvall made 14 saves for the Lady Rebels, who finish up the season with a record of 1-8-2. The team will graduate five seniors in all at the end of the school year: Hailey Kumpf, Leah Fuller, Hunter Jahnke, Lauren Neu and Desirae Minns.

As for Bolivar-Richburg, they will get another home game right back on Dunsmore-Latimer Field this Friday night, as they play host to the 13th seeded Lady Golden Gophers of Pavilion, who upset No. 4 Naples on the road to pull off the upset victory. Time for the first kick has yet to be determined.

Emery says that with Pavilion coming to town for the Quarterfinals matchup, it remains a resounding mystery as to what challenge the Lady Wolverines will be presented with.

“This is where it gets weird, because you don't get to see any of these teams because of COVID,” he said. “I expected to be playing Naples again, having played them already in Sectionals. But Pavilion upset them, and now I have no idea what to expect. To beat Naples on their home field, they have to be bringing something to us this weekend. I don't know what League they play in, what their schedule was this year. Everything is unfamiliar territory.”