Tuesday Semifinals: Templeton punches return ticket back to D1 Finals for No. 1 Fillmore, scores GWG in 3-2 win over No. 4 Keshequa in double-sudden victory

The Lady Eagles of Fillmore mob junior Sophia Templeton (1) after she scored the team’s game-winning goal in the second sudden victory session of Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal to send the team back to the Class D1 Finals with a 3-2 victory over Keshequa, in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore freshman Grace Russell (3) jousts alongside the Keshequa defender for the loose ball near midfield during Tuesday night’s Class D2 Semifinal matchup in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore junior Sophia Templeton (1) jousts with the Keshequa defense for the loose ball right at midfield during Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal matchup in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore freshman Hope Russell (2) sends the ball into the open wing against the Keshequa defense during Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal matchup in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore freshman Rachel Hatch (4) battles alongside the Keshequa offender for the loose ball near the sidelines during Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal matchup in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore senior Morgan Byer (20) sends the ball downfield on a clear during Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal matchup against Keshequa, in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Fillmore senior Harley Miller (7) prepares to throw the ball back into play during Tuesday night’s Class D1 Semifinal matchup against Keshequa, in Fillmore. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

FILLMORE — The climate surrounding the field in Fillmore on Tuesday was just your typical telltale signs of Old Man Winter making an early appearance in Allegany County. Below freezing temperatures, blistering wind and even perhaps some light sideways snow at a point or two during the match.

Despite it all, there was still a score to be settled in the Class D1 Semifinals between two schools separated by just a 20 minute drive. Usually in these types of conditions, there was the chance of a few complications occurring. For the top seeded Lady Eagles, they had to find a way to escape an early rut that was excavated by No. 4 Keshequa in the first half of play, dominating much of the play through the midfield as well as the air. As a result, they took the lead.

You could say that the first 40 minutes provided a little bit of a wake-up call to the Lady Eagles, according to longtime head coach Jon Beardsley, who said that in that moment, they were still digging deep to figure all of it out.

“They had us on our heels in the first half, and we were still trying to figure it out,” he said. “It’s the experience of playing in these kinds of games. Keshequa, every night, plays this kind of game and it took a little bit for our legs to get going. Keshequa went up a notch after what we saw in the last round when they played. I thought every time we came back out on the field, we provided a much better set of time than the last. They were better each time, and it paid off.”

How did it pay off exactly? Try a pair of unanswered goals.

The Fillmore Lady Eagles pushed all of their chips to the center of the table in the final 20 minutes of the second half, as they leaned on the back half of the final set of time to make that one last push to send the Lady Indians over the edge. Ultimately, they would do just that by finding the goal they were looking for to send the game into overtime with a 2-2 tie that stood for nearly the remainder of the evening.

In nearly 10 minutes after the two sets of 10-minute overtime periods began, and nearly 110 minutes of total soccer being played, the Lady Eagles hit the jackpot.

With 3:17 remaining left in the final sudden victory session, the last timed event before the penalty kick session, the Lady Eagles found their way toward victory after trailing all night. Sophia Templeton was responsible for cueing the team’s mad dash out onto the field after she connected with the game-winning goal for the top seeds, as she stamped the team’s ticket for a return trip back to the Class D1 Finals on Thursday right back on their field with a 3-2 double-sudden victory triumph over Keshequa.

“We were going to find the chances to break through. Sophia made a nice first touch after picking that ball off, and she could have thought about it differently, but she didn’t,” Beardsley said. “Her composure with the shot was absolutely sublime, and she couldn’t have done it any better. It was textbook the way she put that goal away. What I also was proud of was the effort, the grit, the focus were all huge, but we pride ourselves in the skill we possess, and I was happy to see that unfold in the end.”

Before the celebration erupted on the Fillmore side of the field, the Lady Eagles (14-0) had to fight their way back from trailing in the first half of play, as the Lady Indians dominated much of the possession in the first 40 minutes, which resulted in their two goals from Mackenzie Gilman just nine minutes into the game, who received a cross from Heather Moriarty on the near side to trap the ball into the wide open side of the cage to start things off, and then later another Moriarty pass this time to Catrina Pierce, who weaved her way in toward goal to score to put the Lady Indians back on top.

In between the pair of Keshequa goals, Fillmore tied the ballgame up at one five minutes after the Gilman goal for the Lady Indians, as Grace Russell provided a breakaway run toward the goal after collecting a Mallory DeRock pass from behind at center, hitting it opposite side of the Lady Indians goalkeeper to knot it at one with 25 minutes left in the half.

The score would remain 2-1 heading into the second half, where Keshequa continued to pick right up where they left off on the defensive front by holding the Lady Eagles offense in check, not allowing them to enter the zone with a chance. Perhaps the best chance in regulation at that point came from Zoe Beardsley on her pass straight up the middle to Hope Russell, who nearly broke away from the Lady Indians defense to provide a shot. But it was saved, near the midway mark.

But a crucial call right at the tail end of regulation, Beardsley looked to his junior to make another big play, this time on a direct kick from about 30 yards away from the Keshequa goal. Beardsley’s kick went straight toward the crowd of players in front of the cage, where the ball took an inadvertent redirection right next to the far post off a header and into the net to give the Lady Eagles the 2-2 tie they were looking for to force extra time.

“In the middle of the second half when we were down, I moved Zoe up to center-mid from sweeper just to try and get us some more offense,” Beardsley said. “She was absolutely phenomenal tonight, and she may have had her best game of the season. She’s been able to sit back at sweeper and be the safety valve that we’ve wanted her to be all season, but we needed her to step up and play the middle for us. She spends a lot of time not getting the credit she deserves because she’s my daughter, but tonight she deserves that big pat on the back.”

The goal would force what eventually became nearly 20 minutes more of extra time, as the Lady Eagles continued to gain momentum by winning the midfield possession themselves in overtime, with a near go-ahead goal coming from another direct kick from Beardsley. Sophia Templeton was able to trap the ball after the shot to take aim at the top right corner of the cage, but the shot went just wide and zipped out of play for the Keshequa goal kick.

Finally, with under four minutes left to play in the final timed session of the game, the Lady Eagles completed their rally.

It all started with an attempt to clear the ball by the Keshequa netminder. Fillmore was able to recover the loose ball on a clear that never reached midfield, as Templeton recovered the interception off the giveaway to poke it underneath the diving Lady Indians goalkeeper to begin the celebration in the second sudden victory session, as the Lady Eagles mobbed the junior after she was able to finally put the game away and send the team back to the Class D1 Finals. Rachel Hatch was credited with an assist of the game-winning goal.

After the game, Beardsley said something came from the girls that he has yet to see from them all year. And that came with a little inspiration he used from a saying that Belfast boys soccer coach Mark Sullivan told his boys squad during their 5-3 victory over Northstar just 24 hours prior, on Monday.

“It was guts. It’s kind of funny, but I saw a quote that Coach Sullivan in Belfast said. It was about heart, and energy, and winning balls in the air. That was all I said to the kinds in the last 10 or 15 minutes with the overtimes,” he said. “I have to thank Mark for that. The girls dug deep in a battle of two very good teams, and we got one more break and we started playing better as the game went on. The confidence picked up, the composure was huge. We could have mailed it in twice after we got down. We haven’t done that a whole lot, and the girls wouldn’t let it happen. It wasn’t necessarily pretty today, but we showed something that we didn’t know we had in some ways with the guts and the determination. Stuff like that carries you through big games like this.”

26 total shots combined were applied to each side of the field between both Fillmore and Keshequa, with the Lady Eagles taking the reigns in the shot department with a 14-12 advantage on the offensive front. Preslee Miller in between the pipes for the hosts in black and green, was able to grab the victory behind 10 saves.

Next up is their final game of the 2020 season: a chance to defend their Class D1 championship in front of their home crowd Thursday night, as the spotlight will be on the turf in Fillmore for the Lady Eagles to go head-to-head with the Lady Wolves of Arkport/Canaseraga, who defeated Genesee Valley by a 5-0 count just down the road on Burke Field at Houghton College earlier that night to earn their place in the Finals.

Beardsley says like Keshequa, Arkport/Canaseraga will be yet another tough obstacle his girls will look to get around in order to end their season perfect.

“We get to come back here and defend our title, and it’s supposedly going to be 50 degrees that day,” he said. “Right now, we’re happy to have made it back to the Finals. Arkport/Canaseraga, like Keshequa, like us, they’re a program that will always provide you with a great game year in, and year out. We’re thankful to be there. We couldn’t have played any more number of games than we did because there’s nothing after the title game. What more can you ask for?”

No. 3 Arkport/Canaseraga 5, No. 7 Genesee Valley 0

HOUGHTON — The third seeded Arkport/Canaseraga Lady Wolves were at the top of their game on Burke Field at Houghton College on a cold Tuesday night, as they were powered by a hot first half start before kicking into an even bigger gear in the second half, racking up five goals in all to shutout No. 7 Genesee Valley by a 5-0 count to advance onto the Class D1 Finals on Thursday.

Guillanna Smith was the driving force behind Arkport/Canaseraga’s success, as she netted a hat trick to power the offense. Two of Smith’s goals came right in the first half of play off passes from Emily Pfaff to give them a two-goal lead after 40 minutes. Then, the Lady Wolves, behind Julia Flaitz’s offensive and special teams contributions, branched that lead out to five after she was involved in all three of the team’s second half goals.

Flaitz scored the team’s first goal of the new session before handing out two assists on the remaining goals, including the third for Smith to complete her hat trick to help end Genesee Valley’s season.

Ashley Burrows made 11 saves between the pipes for the seven seeds.

The Lady Jaguars finish the condensed 2020 season with a record of 9-5-1, as the team graduates a grand total of 11 seniors at the end of the year in Emera Aquila, Sierra Burrows, Natalie Brodman, Savannah Werner, Avery Grusendorf, Kayci Bigelow, Lizzy Bentley, Ashley McRae, Sadie Hemphill, Tasha Wedge and Victoria Babbitt.

“It was a great season for my ladies,” said Lady Jaguars coach Lisa Scott-Schneider. “We finished second in the County, and beating the number two seed in a shootout will forever be a memory for these kids. I have 11 seniors and they changed the mindset this season. Their work was harder, their determination paid off and their leadership grew as the season went on. It was a fantastic bunch to work with, and with it, we have a super future to look forward to.”

Class D2 Semifinals

No. 4 Jasper-Troupsburg 1, No. 1 Belfast 0

BELFAST — In an absolutely frigid night on the grass in Belfast, the top-seeded Lady Bulldogs and No. 4 Jasper-Troupsburg stuck it out in a tough battle for a spot in Thursday’s D2 Finals. But with under 10 minutes left in the first half of play, the determining factor found the back of the net, as the Lady Wildcats provided the only goal to get to Finals with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

Brynn Waters was responsible for the game’s lone goal for the Lady Wildcats with 7:29 left in the opening half, making an unassisted run to the Belfast cage to put the number four seeds ahead for good.

“Overall, I thought the game was very evenly played,” Lady Bulldogs coach Duane Powers said. “The girls played with so much heart tonight, but it just was not in the cards for us. Jasper-Troupsburg capitalized on their chances and we didn’t, plain and simple. More power to them in a hard fight.”

Jasper-Troupsburg outshot Belfast by a 9-4 count in the shots department. Kaitlin Sadler was able to make eight of those stops for the Lady Bulldogs, who finish off a tremendous first season under Powers with a 9-4 record, their first Allegany County Division II championship in five years and the number one seed entering this year’s Class D2 Sectional tournament.

The team will graduate just four seniors in Cierra Wallace, Emma Sullivan, Shannon Durrigan and Kelsi Morton.

“I’m extremely proud of this first season we were able to put together,” Powers said. “These girls came together in a way I never saw coming. Yes tonight did not produce the results that we were hoping for, and I’m heartbroken that we couldn’t send off our seniors with a bang. But I couldn’t be more proud of this group. I truly believe that this is the start of something special here in Belfast.”

No. 3 Notre Dame-Batavia 3, No. 2 Andover/Whitesville 0

ANDOVER — Separating the Andover/Whitesville Lady Panthers from their first trip to the Finals as a combined unit was one more obstacle - No. 3 Notre Dame-Batavia. Two of the top seeds in Class D2 bracket went toe-to-toe to settle the score on the frozen tundra in Andover, Tuesday evening.

Both offenses were involved all across the field, as they combined for 20 total shots. As far as putting the exclamation point on their opportunities, it was the Lady Irish that managed to do just that, as they scored two of their three goals in the first half to set the tone on offense, while their defense did much of the bending but didn’t break, as they shutout the second-seeded Lady Panthers by a 3-0 count in the Semifinal round.

“We had several opportunities tonight, but once again, we just couldn’t find a way to put the ball into the back of the net,” Lady Panthers coach Al Barber said. “The defense was a little bit of a let down for us. Our marking and containment of Notre Dame just wasn’t there, and that allowed them to capitalize on the opportunities that they had.”

Despite the outcome of the game, Andover/Whitesville (8-5) managed to collect a narrow outshooting of Notre Dame-Batavia on the offensive front, outshooting the Lady Irish by a final 11-9 count. But the opportunities Notre Dame-Batavia had, were cashed in with a 2-0 lead at the half, with their first coming just over 10 minutes into the game. The last came in the second half at the midway mark to ultimately put the game on ice.

Livia Simon made five saves in goal for the Lady Panthers, who wrap up the season with a record of 8-5 in their first official season as a combined unit. Barber says that both communities should be proud of the season the team was able to put together.

“Our expectations were pretty high and I know none of the girls are content with tonight’s outcome,” he said. “I think both communities can be proud of the friendships built amongst the girls and the way they represented their schools on the field. It was an absolute gift to be able to have the chance to work with them all.”

The team will graduate six seniors at the end of the year in Simon, Kelsie Niedermaier, Kate Pensyl, Katie Calladine, Liberty Gaylord and Catherine Reilly.

“All of my seniors will be missed dearly,” Barber said. “Five of them have been big contributors for such a long time over the years that I’ve spent coaching this team. And then there’s Kate that came over to us along with all the other Whitesville girls, and she fit right in immediately. She has done a tremendous job for us in the back this year. It was an honor to have coached these seniors.”

BOYS SOCCER

Class C2 Semifinals

No. 7 Geneseo 2, No. 5 Bolivar-Richburg 0

BOLIVAR — It has been a tremendous season that the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines have put together in this condensed campaign. They had a chance to punch a ticket to the Class C2 Finals in front of their home crowd at Dunsmore-Latimer Field.

To do it, they had to get past the Geneseo Blue Devils. But the seven seeds took advantage of the possession for much of the 80 minutes put on display on Tuesday, as they held Bolivar-Richburg to just a single shot on offense while capitalizing on a goal in each half to end a breakout season for the Wolverines with a 2-0 shutout to advance to the Class C2 Finals.

Both goals for the Blue Devils were scored in the first 15 minutes of each half, scoring their first from James Thomas. Sebri Fantuazzo had the other just past the 10 minute mark in the second half to put the game on lock. Both goals were assisted by Michael Walton.

Wayne Karnuth was active in the net for the Wolverines (7-5-2), as he posted six saves.

Bolivar-Richburg’s season is over as their 2020 campaign comes to a close behind a record of 7-5-2. The team will graduate six seniors in Karnuth, Jason Greeson, Dom Baldwin, Mark Pangburn, Logan Bess and Brayden Day. After the game, head coach Mike Zilker spoke with his team about the success they have built this season for a program that hasn’t seen it in a long time.

“At the beginning of the season, we had two worlds collide. Football and soccer, and the amount of work that needed to be done in order to able to compete as a whole was huge,” he said. “Rather than just go with the flow, we got to work. The boys began to mesh and take shape, and the two worlds brought unity to a town that was able to have at least a season. The support we’ve received from all the families and friends was astounding. We were allowed to bring some sort of normalcy to a time that’s fairly chaotic.”

Zilker continued, saying “In doing so, we had a lot of fun and did extremely well. This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite teams to have been a part of. These boys knew how to make you laugh and work hard all in the same day. I will greatly miss my six seniors that we had on this team, but I am blessed to say that we could possibly be returning as many as 18 for next year. The future looks bright at Bolivar-Richburg.”