Girls soccer: GV/Belfast survives scare; C-R wins 8th game behind balanced scoring, Melton shutout

Tuesday Roundup: GV/Belfast girls survive another back-and-forth shootout with Ark-Can to score big 4-2 win; Wellsville swimming action, volleyball results

By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com

BELFAST — Back in mid-September, it was anyone’s game in what was a high-octane shootout between Arkport-Canaseraga and Genesee Valley/Belfast in their very first clash of the campaign. Between them, seven goals found the back of the net in alternating, back-and-forth fashion, with Genesee Valley/Belfast having the last word late in the second half to score the 4-3 win.

History nearly repeated itself again when the two teams collided one last time on Tuesday. At the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, the goal-scoring and the pace of battle moved at full tilt with Genesee Valley/Belfast taking full advantage of possession to start the contest. But later on, the back-and-forth fight then settled on for each offense, as both found the back of the net twice to remain on level playing ground going into the break.

This time around, lightning struck in the early sequences of the second half. As for the purveyor of the strikes? — That was Hannah Southwick-Powers.

While the defense was able to keep Arkport-Canaseraga absolutely silenced in the last 40 minutes, the Genesee Valley/Belfast senior delivered a tide-turning concatenation right to the front door, as she poked home two goals in just over a four-minute span to break a 2-2 halftime deadlock with the Lady Wolves and created separation towards their eventual 4-2 doubling-up to bring out the brooms and sweep their season series.

“I was really happy to see the ladies have some more spark in the second half to provide a response to the tie at the half,” GV/Belfast co-coach Lisa Scott-Schneider said. “We didn’t allow Arkport-Canaseraga to muster anything more, which allowed Hannah to do her thing with a couple of goals to create that spark. Danika (Scott) also had a really beautiful corner kick to help get us going earlier as well, so set pieces were really key for us tonight. It was great to see.”

The first 10 minutes out of the gate were dominated by GV/Belfast (7-1-1), as they scratched the surface with multiple opportunities to break the ice against Arkport-Canaseraga, including a plethora of corner kicks from the foot of Danika Scott — who eventually got a hold of one a little later on in the half.

But to start the game, the scoring commenced behind Jenna Hill’s push up the field, which saw a successful pass to Madison Yackeren, who fought off the Lady Wolves defense to put an ice-breaking goal directly to the top shelf for a 1-0 lead.

Moments later, a chance to double their lead against Arkport-Canaseraga after Bayleigh Tallman was taken down in the Lady Wolves box, which resulted in a penalty kick — one that rang directly off the far post and wide of the net, allowing the visitors to clear the zone. On the ensuing rush back down field, the Lady Wolves responded in the most massive of ways by tying the game off the first of two Chloe Henshaw goals off a pass dished along by Isla O’Heron.

With the momentum beginning to shift to Arkport-Canaseraga, the corner kicks reentered the field of view for Genesee Valley/Belfast, with Danika Scott knocking home a clutch go-ahead score with 10 minutes left in the half, spinning right to the front of the net where the ball was met with a fortuitous Lady Wolves redirection in front before slithering its way into the net for a 2-1 lead.

Six more minutes were erased off the clock, but it provided plenty of time for Arkport-Canaseraga to reforge the deadlock once again, as Henshaw scored her second of the game off an absolutely phenomenal direct kick supplied by Shannon Spoth near the top of the Genesee Valley/Belfast 18, hitting Henshaw’s head directly to finish the score to the far post for a 2-2 tie going into the break.

But that goal from Henshaw would be the last Arkport-Canaseraga would earn, as Genesee Valley/Belfast’s defense fastened their seat belts and pitched a second half shutout, all while Southwick-Powers took matters into her own hands to give the team the lead back once and for all with two goals in a four-minute span just past the 10-minute mark into the frame.

Whitney Young supplied the go-ahead assist on Southwick-Powers’ first marker at the 30:10 juncture of the frame, while Scott had the second helper at 26:02.

The four goals by Genesee Valley/Belfast all came off 11 total shots against the Lady Wolves, as they went on to claim an 11-2 overall advantage. Morgan Yackeren picked up the win between the posts without making a save, while Maddie Kellogg made seven saves for Arkport-Canaseraga.

Coming up tonight, Genesee Valley/Belfast will conduct a quick turnaround over the road, as they pay a visit to Jasper-Troupsburg for a 7 p.m. contest.

More stories after Chris Brooks photo gallery:

Cuba-Rushford 3, Bolivar-Richburg 0

BOLIVAR — After suffering defeat for the very first time in regulation this season, there was no better time for the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford to provide a bigger rebound than on Tuesday, when they hit the road once again.

Behind the guidance of Molly Kunz, Brynn Lavery and Cloey Larabee, they would not be denied at Dunsmore-Latimer Field in Bolivar, as they provided a 3-0 bounce back blank against the host Lady Wolverines.

“We were a little shaky throughout the first half. Bolivar-Richburg definitely came with a good game plan and had some good chances. Our second half was much better. We were patient with the ball, moved it well and had more control over the game. I was happy to see us bounce back after the loss on Saturday.” Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight said.

The Lady Rebels (8-1-1) made the most of their chances to claw away at Bolivar-Richburg in the early-going, connecting first in the opening 10 minutes of play with a pass from Aubrey Williams making its way to the front for Kunz to tuck away on the right side of the cage.

The scoring would freeze for the remainder of the half with the visitors in white and blue in control of the action, as well as the first 19 minutes of the second half leading up to Cuba-Rushford’s next marker from Lavery, as she was given a cross to the front by Mireya Rutkowski adjacent to her to rocket home over top of goalkeeper Maya Zilker and into the net for a 2-0 lead with 21:21 remaining.

To put the game away permanently, Larabee was the last Lady Rebels scorer to navigate her way to the back of the net, as she knocked away a penalty kick with 11:24 remaining to clinch a three-goal lead over the Lady Wolverines (2-7).

The Lady Rebels accounted for their three scores off 10 total shots, as they held possession of a 10-3 advantage in the shots department over Bolivar-Richburg.

In net, Annaleece Melton made all three stops to record the shutout, while Zilker made seven saves for the hosts in black and red, who will return to Dunsmore-Latimer Field on Thursday for a 5 p.m. battle against Friendship/Scio.

Next up for Cuba-Rushford is a Saturday afternoon visit to the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, where they will face host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 12 p.m. first kick.

Fillmore 4, Andover/Whitesville 0

ANDOVER — A perfect first half of play from the Lady Eagles of Fillmore was what the doctor ordered on Tuesday, as they held host Andover/Whitesville without a single shot while taking advantage on offense themselves, breaking the ice in the opening minute to set the tone right away in what was a 4-0 road blank in Andover to remain undefeated.

Mylee Miller was at the front of the pack guiding the Lady Eagles (9-0), netting a pair of goals — the first coming just 51 seconds removed off the opening kick at midfield, as she knocked away a pass dished along by Morghyn Ross to break the ice. It would remain a one-goal advantage going into the halftime break, but not before applying more pressure against Andover/Whitesville along the way, as they recorded a 10-0 lead in the shots department.

Fillmore would turn the momentum into more goals in the second half, finding the back of the Andover/Whitesville (2-7) net three more times, with Tenlee and Mylee Miller starting the next stanza with back-to-back goals, as they scored 57 seconds apart to extend the Lady Eagles lead to a trio of goals. Tenlee would record a helper on Mylee’s second score at the 31:50 mark.

The goal-scoring would conclude with 13:07 remaining in the game, as Abby Earley scored off a pass sent along by Mylee Miller.

The Lady Eagles finished with a 19-1 advantage in shots, with Grace Clark and Kelsie Songster combining to record the one-save shutout. In net for the hosts, Olivia Waters put a stop to 15 shots she faced.

Both teams will return to the field on Thursday, with Fillmore heading back home to welcome in the Avon Lady Riverhawks in a 7 p.m. contest, while Andover/Whitesville head back over the hill to Whitesville for a 5 p.m. battle with Alfred-Almond.

Friendship/Scio 0, Alfred-Almond 0

ALMOND — The Friendship/Scio girls gave it an incredible fight in their latest trip over the road to Alfred-Almond on Tuesday, as they fought tooth and nail right alongside the host Lady Eagles from start to finish across all 100 minutes of action that would see the scoreboard, as the two teams finished in a scoreless tie.

Statistics for each team were not made available to report upon publication.

Friendship/Scio (3-5-1) will return to the field Thursday night at 5 p.m. with a visit to Bolivar-Richburg.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Genesee Valley/Belfast at Arkport-Canaseraga – No report.

Andover/Whitesville at Hammondsport — No report.

GIRLS TENNIS

Fillmore 4, Addison 1

ADDISON — Coming off a brilliant doubleheader performance against Alfred-Almond just 24 hours ago, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore carried their winning ways over the road, as they used a sweep of all three singles matches to their utmost advantages against host Addison to record a big 4-1 win — their fourth in a row, over the Lady Knights.

“Tonight was a really competitive match,” Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “Claire (Schilke), Molly (Mahoney) and Indie (Knapp) really led the way with strong showings in singles. Claire and Molly did a great job of battling back in the second set to get tiebreakers, and then both focused and won the breakers to close out their matches. Indie really played her most complete match of the season, and showed some real grit in beating a tough opponent. Both doubles teams showed improvement, but Lena and Kirra fought back after a tough first set and were able to win a third set tiebreaker.”

Claire Schilke and Molly Mahoney delivered two more incredible fights in their respective singles matches to aid leading Fillmore (7-4) to victory, with Schilke fending off Addison’s Alex Boutelle at first singles with a second-set tie-breaking edge in a 6-1, 7-6 (4) overall decision, while Mahoney followed with a resilient 9-7 tiebreaking win to capture the 6-3, 7-6 win over Hadleigh Watson.

Indigo Knapp completed the sweep in the singles matches with a strong 6-4, 6-0 win over Claire Thompson at third singles.

Fillmore’s final victory came from the first doubles team of Lena Tucker and Kirra Bentley, as they also survived a second-set tiebreaker of their own to score a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4) comeback victory over Addison’s Kaylee Keech and Chelsea Keech.

The Lady Eagles will conclude their regular season tonight with a 5 p.m. visit to Canisteo-Greenwood.

Singles

1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Alex Boutelle (ADD), 6-1, 7-6 (4).

2. Molly Mahoney (FIL) def. Hadleigh Watson (ADD), 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

3. Indigo Knapp (FIL) def. Claire Thompson (ADD), 6-4, 6-0.

Doubles

1. Lena Tucker/Kirra Bentley (FIL) def. Kaylee Keech/Chelsea Keech (ADD), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

2. Zadie Vitulli/Leah Baker (ADD) def. Greta Kettinger/Tori Tetta (FIL), 6-2, 6-2.

SWIMMING

Livonia 116, Wellsville 66

WELLSVILLE — The Sea Lions of Wellsville have been the class of Section V for the last several years, posting four straight undefeated regular seasons in the water that helped them propel to the top of the mountain each time.

Their last loss came during the 2020 season against the Livonia Lady Bulldogs — the very same opponent that came to town for battle on Tuesday. But for the first time in four years, Wellsville has met their match, as Livonia took care of business on their own terms behind nine total victories against the Sea Lions to set the tone for what assembled into a dominant 116-66 victory.

“We finally met a team with more numbers and more talent tonight,” Sea Lions coach Steve Hand said. “Coach (Jonah) Kiehle has done a good job keeping numbers up and 27 is huge. They have lots of depth and quality swimmers. Our girls seal well and posted some personal bests, but we could not handle them tonight. Livonia is going to be hard to beat for a few years. Morgan (Mattison) had a good 50 and Kaylee (Oswald) looked good on the board. We need to get healthy and finish strong for our Senior meet coming up next week.”

Wellsville (4-1-1) collected just three first place finishes, with Morgan Mattison and Kaylee Oswald recording one each in the first half of the meet, as Mattison swam towards victory in the 50 freestyle (26.52) while Oswald had the best score off the diving board (189.15). Megan Vanetten closed out the wins in the back half of action with her victory in the 500 freestyle (6:30.13).

The complete results of the meet can be viewed by visiting this link: 

The Sea Lions are now off from action until next Thursday for the final time in front of their home crowd, as they host their Senior Night celebration with a 5 p.m. visit from Dansville.