Tuesday Roundup: Defending Class D State Champion Eagles start defense with bang in home-opening win over Fri/Scio; C-R girls roll, GV/Belfast girls blank Lady Wolverines

FILLMORE — The first night back out on the pitch can be a nerve-racking feeling for some. But for the Fillmore Eagles, the defending Class D New York State Champions, it’s a chance to pick up where they left off from that magical season from a year ago.

With no hesitation, the Eagles did just that and then some, seeing 11 different registrations on the attack, using a fast first half to set the tone against visiting Friendship/Scio to score 14-0 season-opening victory in front of their home crowd, Tuesday night under the lights.

“I couldn’t ask for a better start to our season. We played great possession soccer and we were firing on all cylinders right from the start,” said Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg. “I was happy with how balanced our offense was with 11 different goal scorers and nine different people adding assists. The defense and our keepers, Brayden Hennard and Ryan Vedder combined for their first shutouts of the year. Hats off to Friendship/Scio for never quitting, even under difficult circumstances.”

The Eagles (1-0) scored a fast 8-0 lead through the opening half, with the first three goals coming in a six minute span to take their first big step out in front. Amongst the goalscorers for the hosts in green, was Eben Schilke, who recorded a hat trick. Henry Sardina recorded two goals to go with two assists. Jack Cool tallied a goal and two helpers, while Zach Sisson, Layton Sanasith, Nolan Krzeminski, James Hillman and Noah Strickland all scored and recorded an assist.

Adding points for Fillmore were Jude Beardsley, Joe Sadler and Isaiah Sisson, all with a goal each, along with Alex Hatch and Sam Cool, who each dished out a helper. In goal, Brayden Hennard and Ryan Vedder combined for the one-save shutout.

Friendship/Scio (0-2) saw Cooper Greenman make 12 saves in net.

The Eagles will have a quick turnaround tonight in Hinsdale, as they battle Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale in a 7 p.m. first kick, while Friendship/Scio prepares to host the Brock Young Tournament in Scio beginning on Thursday, with a first round matchup against Andover/Whitesville at 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER

Genesee Valley/Belfast 2, Bolivar-Richburg 0

BELMONT — All Hannah Southwick-Powers needed was five minutes to change the complexion of the game, Tuesday night. Just five minutes in the opening half that wound up making all the difference in their first home-opening battle at Judy Bliven Field this season, as host Genesee Valley/Belfast took care of business against visiting Bolivar-Richburg with a 2-0 shutout.

For much of the battle, possession was controlled primarily by Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-0), as they recorded 12 shots against the Lady Wolverines while the defense remained vigilant in turn, which allowed Kimme Ball to collect her second straight shutout in between the pipes.

While the defense was holding the Lady Wolverines in check, the offense began to crack through with the assistance of Southwick-Powers close to 10 minutes removed from the opening kick, as she connected with Whitney Young on the game’s first big play to break the ice with a 1-0 lead.

The hope was to keep the momentum intact after pulling ahead first. Genesee Valley/Belfast would go on to do just that with a quick response five minutes later from Southwick-Powers again with her second of the game, this time interlinking with Danica Scott at the 25:22 mark of the frame to branch out their lead even further.

From that point on, the remainder of the game rested solely on the defense, as they went on to successfully hold Bolivar-Richburg (1-1) at a standstill, freezing the Lady Wolverines to just a pair of shots on goal and a single corner kick opportunity.

Ball would make one save in net for the hosts to earn the win, while Rylee Whiting made four saves for the Lady Wolverines, who now head to Hinsdale to take part in the 1st Annual Tri-County Cup hosted by Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale on Thursday, as they partake in opening round action with the host Lady Rebels at 7 p.m.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will get back to it on Saturday with tournament action of their own, as they head east to the Albany area to Waterford-Halfmoon for an opening round battle beginning at 12:15 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale 5, Friendship/Scio 2

CUBA — The first half for the host Lady Rebels was one of major emphasis, starting the game red hot and ending the stanza with an exclamation point to capture a two-goal advantage over Friendship/Scio.

Even with the hot start in hand, head coach Aaron Wight stressed to his team the importance of carrying over the momentum into the new half during the team’s discussion at halftime.

Their response? A big one.

Although Friendship/Scio found their way onto the board to end the chances of a season-opening shutout for Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale, the Lady Rebels found the net three more times to claim a 5-1 lead they held onto for much of the second half, never looking back on what ultimately became a 5-2 victory in Cuba on Tuesday.

“To be honest, I was a little nervous coming in. This was our first time really putting it all together and I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “At halftime, we really stressed on the importance of the third goal. We knew it was a matter of time before the (Nevaeh and Morghyn) Ross sisters would threaten us. They’re both so dangerous. Thankfully, we came out and got that goal early, and it really gave us some breathing room to work with.”

The Lady Rebels (1-0) opened up the campaign with a bang, collecting two goals each from Shae Maples and Jen Tuttle, with Maples scoring the team’s first right from the get-go just 1:17 removed from the clock.

The lead was held straight down to the wire in the opening half when it was branched out on a magnificent special teams opportunity deep in the Friendship/Scio zone. Set up by a big corner kick from Brynn Lavery, Tuttle was able to get enough momentum to fire the ball to the back of the net with 3:30 to go to help the hosts in blue claim a 2-0 lead going into the break.

After the 10 minute discussion at halftime, the Lady Rebels saw an all-important third goal come into complete fruition. And quick.

At the 34:11 mark, that lead grew to 3-0 with Maples’ second marker of the night — a marker that rapidly turned into a strand of goals, being the first of four goals in a span of nearly five minutes.

Within that, came Friendship/Scio’s (0-1) first marker from Nevaeh Ross, as she connected with Lexi Crossley on the play to cut their deficit back down to a pair. But just as quick as the visitors did that, the Lady Rebels came right back with two quick jabs of their own, as Tuttle’s second strike along with a massive penalty kick score from Cloey Larabee pushed the advantage out to four, creating more separation to allow them to hang onto victory for good.

With 11:12 to go, Friendship/Scio would record their final goal from Morghyn Ross, who was assisted by her sister Nevaeh, for her first of the season.

Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale outshot Friendship/Scio by a 23-9 count, with Lilly Johnson-Clark receiving credit for the shutout, making all nine stops. On the other end, Grace Drumm made 16 saves. Friendship/Scio will look to rebound back on the road Friday at 7 p.m. against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore.

As for the Lady Rebels, they will prepare to host their 1st Annual Tri-County Cup beginning on Thursday, where they will face the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg in a first round matchup at 7 p.m. in Hinsdale. The winner will face either Canisteo-Greenwood or Olean in the title game, this weekend.