Saturday Sectionals: Southwick-Powers helps top-seeded Belfast create 2nd half firestorm, netting four goals to shutout No. 8 Lima Christian

Written By Chris Brooks

BELFAST — Saturday night was the night where the race toward the Class D2 Finals officially began to go through Belfast. And for the top-seeded Lady Bulldogs, it was a chance to come out of the gates strong in their Sectional opener against No. 8 seed Lima Christian at the Rich Sullivan Complex.

Through the first half of play against the Lady Saints, Belfast ferociously knocked at the door after turning up the heat, and applying chance after chance deep in the offensive zone. Even though there was no score to be had when the first half horn sounded, it was just the beginning of enormous things.

When the second half arrived, the Lady Bulldogs set off a full detonation on the offensive frontlines by continuing their whirlwind of scoring chances, creating what ultimately formed into a devastating firestorm that resulted in the top seeds scoring not one or two, nor three, but six second half goals with their first coming nearly a minute after the first kick at center to set the tone almost immediately in their 6-0 Quarterfinal victory over the visiting Lady Saints.

Hannah Southwick-Powers was responsible for providing the majority of the chances in the opening half for the Lady Bulldogs (9-3), as she scored four of the team’s six goals. But beforehand, she helped her teammates get off on the best foot possible by assisting in pinning Lima Christian deep in their defensive zone.

The best chance on goal for the Lady Bulldogs in the first half came on a penalty kick which was set up by a Shannon Durrigan pass forward to Harley Proctor in the right wing of the Lima Christian zone. She proceeded to make a move inside where her pass over was deflected out of play by the Lady Saints to set up a corner, which ultimately gave Belfast a penalty kick after Alicia Borden’s attempt was touched by a handball inside the box.

It was a kick that Proctor elected to take, but it was one that hit the crossbar above the Lady Saints goalkeeper and remained out of the net with nearly 10 minutes remaining in the first half. All the chances put together by the Lady Bulldogs created a halftime conversation with their coach.

“I thought we executed the game plan in the first half very well, we just didn’t seem to connect on anything in front of the net,” Lady Bulldogs coach Duane Powers said. “Hats off to Lima, they really had us frustrated. I challenged the girls up front at halftime to be more physical in the second half. They definitely responded right from the whistle. Our offense started to make things work, and the shots came firing afterwards. Hannah (Southwick-Powers) started it out with a ball squeezing by their goaltender, and that gave us all the confidence we needed to get things clicking from there.”

Southwick-Powers’ first of four came just 49 seconds into the second half, as she provided a solo carry on in toward the net to break the ice for Belfast. Her next came four minutes later on another unassisted tally to give the team a two-goal lead at that point. Just past the 10 minute mark, the Lady Bulldogs eighth grader finished off her second half trick by finishing a pass given to her by Mary Hamer.

The lead would reach four after she concluded her offensive scoring with 24:16 left by finishing the shot provided by Harley Proctor, who Southwick-Powers connected with multiple times in the first half to keep the pressure onto Lima Christian. Alicia Borden would score herself just two minutes after Proctor’s goal to make it a 5-0 lead.

The goal-scoring ended when the Lady Bulldogs scavenged a goal from Angel Jimerson, her first as a member of the Varsity squad with 10:49 remaining on the clock to finish off the win. In all, the hosts in black and red provided 14 total shots on goal while the defense kept the Lady Saints at bay with a shutout in the shots department. Kaitlin Sadler and Emma Sullivan each shared time in between the pipes, with Sadler earning credit for the blank.

Top-seeded Belfast now moves into the Class D2 Semifinal round, which begins right back at the Rich Sullivan Complex on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. matchup against No. 4 Jasper-Troupsburg for a chance to reach the Finals, which has now been moved to Thursday night to officially conclude the condensed 2020 soccer season.

No. 2 Andover/Whitesville 4, No. 7 Friendship 0

ANDOVER — For seeing an extended absence of nine days from the end of the regular season up to their Sectional tournament debut Saturday night, it was worth the wait for the Lady Panthers of Andover/Whitesville, as the number two seeds wasted no time making their presence known with Kelsie Niedermaier leading the way on offense in their 4-0 shutout of No. 7 Friendship to move onto the Semifinal round after the weekend.

The Lady Panthers (8-4) senior led the way with a pair of goals to go with one assist to complete a five-point night. Kennedy Bledsoe chipped in with a goal and assist herself, while Rachel Jackson and Ava Grice had a goal, and assist respectively to round off the stat sheet.

Further statistics and details were not made available to report upon publication.

Andover/Whitesville will now get set to host a Class D2 Semifinal clash Tuesday night, as they prepare to take on No. 3 Notre Dame-Batavia for a spot in the Class D2 Finals at 6 p.m.

The Lady Golden Eagles season ends after they finish with a record of 1-8-2. Friendship will graduate seven seniors at the end of the year in Aaliyah Harmon, Maddie Lerro, Bethany Gardner, Emily Burdick, Tahni Thorpe, Caitlyn Stewart and Andrea Hint.

Class D1 Quarters

No. 7 Genesee Valley 1, No. 2 Honeoye 1 (GV won 2-0 in PKs to advance)

HONEOYE — It was safe to say that the No. 7 Lady Jaguars of Genesee Valley were in the fight for their Sectional lives Saturday afternoon over the road, as they battled tooth and nail alongside second-seeded Honeoye despite a lopsided battle that favored the Lady Bulldogs for the majority of the contest.

Through 100 minutes of complete soccer, there was no outright winner in the end. Instead, the very last score was settled in sudden death - penalty kicks. It was an aspect of the game that the Lady Jaguars worked on during practices leading up to their Quarterfinal matchup, and it proved to be time well spent.

Out of five possible chances, the Lady Jaguars just needed their first three to have it all come into fruition as they picked up two goals in their first three chances while Ashley Burrows shut Honeoye out during the penalty kick session to give Genesee Valley the 2-0 edge to advance onto the Class D1 Semifinal round despite a 1-1 tie.

“Honeoye had a better chance of winning this game in regulation, but Ashley came up big in goal all game long for us,” Lady Jaguars coach Lisa Scott-Schneider said. “It was a crazy game, and it was a different philosophy in practice when it came to penalty kicks. Just based on statistics, we knew it was going to be a tough battle and it could very well come down to that aspect, and my crystal ball was true. It came down to whoever had the most confidence for us and they scored the goals. It was pretty exuberant, and they battled a physical battle with Honeoye.”

Those two lucky Lady Jaguars were Lizzy Bentley and Avery Grusendorf, as the two Lady Jaguar (9-4-1) seniors connected on the game-winning tallies in the very last session of the game to seal the trip to the Semifinals for the seven seeds. Prior to the happenings, Sierra Burrows opened the goal-scoring for the visitors in white and green with a goal coming seven minutes in off a beautifully placed direct kick just outside the Lady Bulldogs box.

Just past the halfway point, Honeoye would find a way to tie the game at one for the rest of the afternoon with Leah Green scoring off a corner kick that was rebounded back to her feet, tucking it away to the top shelf above Burrows in goal.

Sierra Burrows’ goal was one of just four shots the Genesee Valley offense produced in the entire game, as Honeoye held a 3-to-1 margin in the shots department (12-4). Ashley Burrows would make 11 saves in play, along with the three she needed to seal the game for the Lady Jaguars in the penalty kick session.

Genesee Valley will now hit the road once more to take on No. 3 Arkport/Canaseraga in the Class D1 Semifinal round on Tuesday for a chance to advance into Thursday’s Finals to end the season. First kick for the game in Arkport stands at 6 p.m.

“I hope we get to play Tuesday, I know COVID has been making a surge in the wrong direction again,” Scott-Schneider said. “Arkport/Canaseraga has a great program, so it will be a difficult task. It’s nice to get back into the Semifinals, it’s been a long time since we were last there. But after today’s game, it was nice to see big smiles on the girls faces. I hope we can carry that momentum into Tuesday.”

No. 1 Fillmore 5, No. 8 C.G. Finney 1

FILLMORE — For the first time all season long, the top-seeded Lady Eagles of Fillmore found themselves having to fight from behind when the first half reached its conclusion in their Class D1 Quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 C.G. Finney.

But after a recollection of their composure during the break, the Lady Eagles wasted no time taking the fight back to the Lady Falcons, as they went on to score all five of their goals in the last 40 minute period of the night, with Grace Russell scoring three of those goals consecutively to complete a hat trick for Fillmore in their 5-1 rout to continue their title defense and advance to the Class D1 Semifinal round.

“We had to battle and fight to get this win,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. '“I am so proud of how the girls were able to settle down, come back out refocused and come out on fire like they did in the second half. Grace has a lot of composure and it was needed badly. As a team, we took this momentum into another gear after that. We played a great game on the 29th of October, and since last week, we’ve only played one game. It just felt like the girls didn’t have the competitive fire needed for Sectionals, or the legs. But they stepped up and found them to play a dynamite second half.”

As mentioned before, the Lady Eagles (13-0) had to fight from behind after battling C.G. Finney through a scoreless tie up until the Lady Falcons broke that tie by earning the lead at halftime off a goal by Gracie Groome, breaking away from the Fillmore defense with five minutes remaining to spring the visitors ahead.

Beardsley said his team had chances in the first half themselves, but just couldn’t put them away.

“We came off a bit rattled at halftime,” he said. “It’s the first time we’ve been down all season. We had some chances and their goalie just made some nice saves with them. In the last 10 minutes of the half, we had some mental breakdowns and Finney got us with some very good speed and agility up top. The Groome girl got a breakaway goal from that right before halftime to give them the lead.”

Even though the goal saw the Lady Eagles fall behind, it perhaps provided them with a bit of a silver lining for the second half. More of a tide-turner when the action resumed at the two minute mark, when Russell scored two of her three goals in a three minute span, scoring them in a rapid succession to complete her hat trick by taking two passes from Sophia Templeton and knocking them both to the back of the Lady Falcons net to give them a 2-1 lead in the first five minutes.

Russell finished her hat trick at the 20 minute mark after C.G. Finney committed a penalty inside their own box which set up her penalty kick, and a 3-1 lead. Two minutes after, Zoe Beardsley added to the damage with a big direct kick goal that sailed in on the Lady Falcons cage to continue branching the team’s lead. The scoring ended when Templeton added a goal herself off a feed from Rachel Hatch with five minutes remaining to seal the comeback win for the top seeds.

Preslee Miller recorded the win in between the pipes for the Lady Eagles by making seven stops.

Fillmore will now vie for a return trip back to the Class D1 Finals on their home turf late next week, but they’ll look to do that with No. 4 Keshequa coming to the Lady Eagles nest in a 6 p.m. showdown on Tuesday in the Semifinal. The longtime Fillmore coach says regardless of who the team faces, either Keshequa or Wheatland-Chili, they will have a tough task at hand. Maybe perhaps their biggest of the season.

“Prior to tonight, knowing we had either Wheatland-Chili or Keshequa if we won, we knew we would have our hands full,” Beardsley said. “Keshequa has a very, very good soccer program and the Semifinals and Finals are complete toss-ups. Like I said before, we are all in a bit of an unknown with each other, so it’s hard to get a real gauge of the surrounding competition. But with Keshequa, you know they are good because they have a good tradition each and every year. It’s sounding old and obnoxious, but it’s true that we are thankful for the 13 games we have played, and we will be thankful for the next one.”

BOYS SOCCER
Class B2 Quarters

No. 2 Penn Yan 4, No. 7 Wellsville 1

PENN YAN — Zackary Townley made it all happen for second-seeded Penn Yan on the field Saturday night on their home field, as he recorded a hat trick that included two big first half goals that put the Mustangs over the top and into the Semifinal round, eliminating No. 7 Wellsville from contention with a 4-1 victory.

Townley’s two first half goals set the pace for what came to be for Penn Yan in the entirety of the 80 minute contest, giving the Mustangs the early lead in the first half, and then splitting what was a 1-1 tie with the Lions (6-3-1) with his second of the game. To tie the Mustangs, Sam Schmidt provided Wellsville’s final goal of the season near the midway mark of the opening half, capitalizing on a pass from Dominic Sawyer.

But from that point, the hosts in blue and orange would go on to score three unanswered goals, including two more in the second half to pull away from the Lions for good.

Further details and statistics were not made available to report upon publication.

Wellsville will finish up the condensed 2020 season with a record of 6-3-1, as the team graduates seven seniors in all at the end of the school year in Schmidt, Sawyer, Alex Ordiway, Liam McKinley, Jake Schrlau, Quinn Heaney and Nate Jefferds.

Class C2 Quarters

No. 3 Bolivar-Richburg 2, No. 6 Cuba-Rushford 1

BOLIVAR — It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. But in the Class C2 Quarterfinal round on Saturday, the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines were given that chance to do so, when they aligned with their longtime rivals Cuba-Rushford for the penultimate chapter to this year’s series at Dunsmore-Latimer Field.

As expected, both the Rebels and Wolverines engaged in a battle that has been fairly similar to their previous meetings already earlier this year. But this time, it would come down to whichever team scored last. In a 1-1 tie approaching the late stages of the second half, Jason Greeson changed that.

After taking a pass from Mark Pangburn, the County’s leader in assists, the Bolivar-Richburg senior would take matters into his own hands from that point forward, finding an opening behind Rebels goalkeeper Jarrett Campbell to put the ball away to send the third-seeded Wolverines into the driver’s seat for the rest of the game to seal a berth in the Class C2 Semifinal round with a humongous 2-1 victory over No. 6 Cuba-Rushford.

“We are on a path to do something amazing,” Wolverines coach Mike Zilker said. “The boys have put in countless hours of work to get where we are. Our team knew we would have to work all season in order to be contenders, and they are doing just that. This is a great group of boys with a desire to win. I am blessed to be a part of this team, and we are thankful that we were allowed a season out of this. It has been a while since we were last in this position. They never give up. I preach Ohana, it means family and we’ve been focusing on the concept that individually, we aren’t very good. But collectively, we can do great things. It’s we and not me, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

The score found its way to a 1-1 tie in the first half of play after two players named Landon found the scoresheet for their respective teams, with Landon Wight found the back of the net first for Cuba-Rushford (4-6-2), just over five minutes into the game by connecting with a corner kick that sailed to the front where he finished it off to give his team the lead.

Just past the midway mark, the other Landon on the field, Landon Danaher netted a goal himself for the Wolverines (7-4-2), as he buried a pass that was given to him by Rudy Polk from the back where he ultimately sent the game into halftime tied up at one goal on each side.

The score would remain the same for an extended period of time, as both teams continued to wheel and deal throughout the midfield. But right before halfway to go in regulation, the deadlock was finally broken by Greeson’s seventh goal of the season, as he put the hosts in black and red in front permanently with the goal that would send Bolivar-Richburg one step closer to the Finals.

Wayne Karnuth picked up the win in goal for Bolivar-Richburg, stopping five shots. On the other side, Campbell also made five saves for the Rebels, who finish the season with a record of 4-6-2. Cuba-Rushford will graduate five seniors in all at the end of the school year in Wight, Caden Granger, Ethan Rix, Hunter Williams and Zack Eddy.

As for the Wolverines, they are now locked into the Class C2 Semifinal round, where they will play another home game on Dunsmore-Latimer Field for a chance to reach the Finals late next week.

In order to do so, they will have to get past incoming No. 7 seed Geneseo, who upset No. 2 seed Caledonia-Mumford with a 1-0 shutout to earn their spot. First kick is slated for a 6 p.m. start.

Chris Brooks
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