Thursday Soccer: Aquila's two goals help Lady Jaguars get 1st half kickstart to roll toward 3-1 start behind 4-0 shutout of Hinsdale

Written By Chris Brooks

BELMONT — Through the first three games of the season, the Lady Jaguars have overcome a slow start of the season in which they exchanged in for big wins over the road at Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg in their last two games this week. On Thursday, they had a chance to make it three straight at Judy Bliven Field against Hinsdale - a team still in search of their first victory.

As time progressed, the mounting pressure resulted in increased chances for the Lady Jaguars. But that pressure would soon boil over past the midway mark of the first half, as Emera Aquila broke loose, having a hand in all four Genesee Valley goals including a pair she scored in the last 20 minutes of the half to help build up what would be a 4-0 shutout of the Lady Bobcats.

“It’s nice to be 3-1 through the first four games,” Lady Jaguars coach Lisa Scott-Schneider said. “Coming off a great overtime win at B-R, it took us a while to get going. But once we did, we notched three goals in the first half. Emera had a great game up top for us, delivering a beauty of a pass late in the game as well as scoring herself. The kids are really playing hard, and it’s nice to have some success for this great group of seniors.”

Aquila’s pressure began after she garnered the majority of the chances in the early-going for Genesee Valley (3-1). Even though no damage was done, the Lady Jaguars continued to pound away while holding Hinsdale deep in their defensive zone. With it, the goals came a short time later after the mask break, as Aquila struck with her first of the game by jarring the ball loose just outside the Hinsdale box for the score to break the ice.

Two minutes after the goal, the floodgates would open as Aquila led the next Genesee Valley rush after the kick at center. A shot was applied by the hosts in green, forcing Lady Bobcats (0-3-1) netminder Haylee Jozwiak to come out and make a play on the ball. Initially, a stop was made, but a big rebound was created right in front of the goal where Adison Grusendorf stood to put the ball away far side for a 2-0 lead.

Chaos ensued for the Lady Jaguars, as they kept applying pressure on the offensive attack. Their next shot on the opposing goal resulted in the ball hitting the crossbar on a shot from Sierra Burrows, and later another shot from amidst a scrum, hitting the near post by Jozwiak before she was able to finally clear the ball out of harm’s way.

Hinsdale would find their best chance to cut the deficit with under 10 minutes left in the half, as Ava Belec received a feed from center and made a run down the endline into the Genesee Valley zone. Belec made a turn inside toward the goal, where she let the shot go while on the run. It nearly found the far post netting, but Ashley Burrows was able to dive across for the Lady Jaguars to secure the save.

With the first half approaching its closure, the Lady Jaguars would go on to score one last goal in the 40 minute period from the foot of Aquila once again, as she traded passes with Sophia Gugino on their way in toward the goal. After her fellow senior captain Natalie Brodman called for a shot from center, Aquila let the shot go to the top shelf. An absolutely perfect rainbow shot from about 20 yards out that allowed the hosts to take a three-goal lead at the half.

Genesee Valley would go on to keep their lead while adding one more goal in the last 40 minute session, as Aquila dished off one last assist to Sierra Burrows with six minutes left in the game to close up shop on the blanking.

Ashley Burrows was able to record the shutout for the Lady Jaguars, stopping three shots. Jozwiak on the other end, made 18 saves for the Lady Bobcats.

The Lady Jaguars are back on the field Saturday morning at 11 a.m. over the road, as they prepare to visit the Friendship Lady Golden Eagles. Hinsdale however, will have a quick turnaround tonight, as they welcome in the Fillmore Lady Eagles for a 4:30 p.m. contest on their home turf.

Fillmore 4, Wellsville 2

WELLSVILLE — One of the main characteristics for any team that strives for greatness - starting things off fast. For the defending Class D1 champion Lady Eagles of Fillmore, they did just that.

There were six goals scored in the game’s entirety on Thursday. The first four goals all belonged to the Lady Eagles, as they took command right out of the gate and held onto it for most of the game, as they rolled their way to a 5-0 start of the young season with a 4-2 victory over the Lady Lions of Wellsville.

“We came out strong and we created a lot of opportunities,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. “We need to become a bit more efficient in the front of the net, but I am glad we are creating opportunities when we can. Wellsville played very hard all the way until the end, but we need to learn to stay focused with our responsibilities from start to finish.”

At the start, it was Sophia Templeton that found the back of the net first and foremost for Fillmore (5-0), as she picked up a great pass from Hope Russell to make the run in and score. It would remain the same score up until the five minute mark left to go before the buzzer, as Mallory DeRock added her second of the season off a feed provided by Grace Russell.

With a 2-0 lead in hand, the Lady Eagles continued to lay down the brick and mortar on offense, as they came out swinging in the second half with a pair of goals in the first seven minutes. Grace Russell chimed in with her County-leading seventh goal of the season, grabbing a pass from Hope Russell along the way just five minutes in. Soon after, the two would flip-flop for their last goal as Hope put away the final goal off a feed from Grace.

The Lady Lions (1-3-1) would not go down without a way to end the shutout, as they were able to scavenge a goal right at the midway mark of the second half, as Maddie Spicer came up with her first goal of the season. With one minute remaining to play, Carly Young was able to record her first goal of the season. But in the end, the early Fillmore attack was too much for the Lady Lions to overcome.

Preslee Miller and Lizzy Nugent combined to make five saves for Fillmore in goal, while Lauren Viglietta and Makenna Dunbar combined to record 11 stops for Wellsville.

Fillmore will have a quick turnaround tonight with a 4 p.m. contest in Hinsdale, while Wellsville hits the road for the first time this season in a 1 p.m. meeting at Andover/Whitesville.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Cuba-Rushford 0

BOLIVAR — After the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg had an overtime setback on Tuesday against Genesee Valley, they were able to regroup and bounce back into the win column. With the team slowly returning to full strength, as well as the continued resurgence of the Harris siblings, Bolivar-Richburg came out victorious with a shutout in hand as they knocked off visiting Cuba-Rushford with a 3-0 victory on Thursday.

“Cuba has improved a lot, and they’re going to surprise some people,” said Lady Wolverines coach Mark Emery. “They gave a gutty performance. Tonight with two subs, it was unbelievable. The luxury to have them, it was a nice thing. The number of players for tonight’s game we have eligible, what a difference it is. I don’t normally point out an individual, but tonight with Jessica Majot back in the middle on defense, the midfield was shut down. It makes me wonder where we will be when we have everyone back, and hopefully that day is right around the corner.”

Bolivar-Richburg (3-2), while providing a solid offensive showing, countered with a lockdown defensive performance that saw them hold their counterparts to just a pair of shots on their goal while the Lady Wolverines provided 12 themselves. Of them, came their first goal at the 14:25 mark of the opening half, as the Harris siblings came together with McKinlee dishing off a pass to Madigan for her fifth goal of the season. It would remain a 1-0 lead going into the break.

In the second half, the hosts continued to keep the Lady Rebels (1-3) in check for the most part, and as a result, they were able to turn the defensive momentum into offensive, as Aliyah Cole cleared the ball in from 35 yards out on a direct kick. A rebound was created in front of the Cuba-Rushford goal, where McKinlee Harris was able to dig the ball free and knock it home to branch the advantage to a pair approaching the halfway mark.

Later on, McKinlee Harris would tack on the final goal of the night on a low shot from a far distance of the Cuba-Rushford net, sending the ball in where it would find the back of the net to help put the game away in shutout fashion.

Paige Taylor picked up her third shutout of the season for the Lady Wolverines, as she stopped both shots she saw from the Lady Rebels. Tara Duvall made eight stops on the other end for Cuba-Rushford.

Bolivar-Richburg will now take an extended time away to continue working their way back to full strength, as they prepare for the next six days to take on Hinsdale over the road in a 5:30 p.m. contest on Wednesday. Cuba-Rushford will hit the road again Saturday afternoon, as they visit Belfast for a 2 p.m. first kick.

Belfast 2, Andover/Whitesville 1

BELFAST — It all came down to the second half of action under the cold and rainy conditions in Belfast, Thursday night. With both teams fighting through a scoreless first half, the goals would then come in the last 40 minute battle. As to who had more of them, it was the host Lady Bulldogs of Belfast, as they scored two goals in a three-minute span to put the cherry on top of a 2-1 victory over visiting Andover/Whitesville.

The battle was on for both squads through the opening 40 minute frame of play, as they took to the midfield to duke it out. Belfast (3-1) was in control for the majority of the play, outshooting Andover/Whitesville by a 3-to-1 ratio at that point going into the half. In the second half, the Lady Panthers (2-1) found a way to respond from Kate Pensyl, who earned her first goal of the season at the 32:24 mark to give them the lead.

But the advantage was short lived, as Belfast’s response was even quicker. The Lady Bulldogs would go on to score a pair of goals in a three-minute span starting just 120 seconds after the Lady Panthers got onto the board. Hannah Southwick-Powers was responsible for the first goal, as she took a feed from Anna Drozdowski at center and capitalized on the game-tying goal.

Later on at the 27:11 mark, Cierra Wallace would be the one that gave the Lady Bulldogs the victory, scoring her first goal of the season to keep the hosts in red in front for good.

Belfast ended the game with a 10-7 shot advantage over Andover/Whitesville, with Kaitlin Sadler getting the victory in net behind nine saves. On the other side, Livia Simon recorded five stops for the Lady Panthers.

Both teams are back on their home fields Saturday afternoon, as Belfast will look for their fourth win in five games with Cuba-Rushford in for a 2 p.m. visit at the Rich Sullivan Memorial Complex, while Andover/Whitesville heads back home to host a 1 p.m. matinee with Wellsville.

Friendship 3, Scio 0

SCIO — Entering Thursday night, both Friendship and Scio were continuing their search to pick up their first win of the season. With the Lady Tigers also holding Senior Night in front of their own crowd, it was something the Lady Eagles used to their advantage, as they made sure they were the team that came out on top, playing spoiler to pick up the 3-0 shutout over the road.

Two of Friendship’s (1-2-1) goals were scored right in the first half of play, wasting no time by taking the early lead from Karlee Cochran, who picked up a feed from Logan Roberts just over five minutes into the game. Near the halfway mark, Roberts connected on a goal herself to help extend their lead to a pair, as Aaliyah Harmon did the honor of handing out the assist at the 24:05 mark on the clock.

It would remain 2-0 up until the half, and for much of the first section of time in the second half. That was until Navaeh Ross had her first goal of the season come on a slow rolling shot to the far corner of the Scio (0-3-1) corner with 21:24 remaining to play, officially locking up the victory.

Friendship outshot Scio by an 11-8 total count in the shot department. In goal, Madeline Lerro earned the team’s first shutout of the season with seven saves, while Kiara Grover had eight stops herself for the Lady Tigers.

Friendship returns home for a Saturday morning contest at 11 a.m. with Genesee Valley in town, while the Lady Tigers look to regroup on the road in Hinsdale after the weekend, on Monday at 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Hinsdale 6, Friendship 0

HINSDALE — In cold, rainy conditions in Hinsdale, it didn’t faze the host Bobcats one bit from getting their first victory of the season, as they powered their way past the visiting Friendship Golden Eagles with a 6-0 shutout, Thursday night.

Isaac Powell led the way for the Bobcats (1-2-1) with a hat trick. Helping the cause on offense were Ty Cummins, Nate Armstrong and Noah Easterly, as they each added a goal to round off the scoring. Hinsdale outshot Friendship (0-1) by a 22-3 count, with Ethan Cashimere and Steven Hayman combining to make nine stops, with Cashimere receiving credit for the shutout.

The Bobcats have a quick turnaround tonight, as they head out to visit Andover/Whitesville for a 6 p.m. contest. Friendship will get Andover/Whitesville to open their home slate after the weekend, as they host the Panthers on Monday at 5 p.m.

Chris Brooks
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