SECTION IV GIRLS SOCCER: M-E EDGES WAVERLY, 2-1, IN CLASS A TITLE GAME (24 PHOTOS) (2025-11-01)

Valley Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — Maine-Endwell scored early in the second half to take a 2-0 lead, then fended off a late comeback attempt by Waverly to post a 2-1 win in the Section IV, Class A girls soccer championship game here Saturday at Chenango Valley High School.

It was the second straight trip to a Section IV final for the Wolverines, who was the Class B champion last year, but bumped up to Class A this season.

"Coach Mennig and I are very proud of how the team played today," said Waverly coach Tara Hogan. "We had the strongest first half we’ve had in several games.  

"While we didn’t score, there were opportunities that presented themselves due to our passing and players chasing down every ball.  

"Defensively, we weren’t giving M-E time to make decisions and pressured them quickly," noted Hogan. "Kaylin Twedt, Gianna Soprano, and Kait Sutton did a fantastic job putting immediate pressure on their forwards in both halves of the game.  

"Makenzie Olmsted, Kendal Rockwell, and Haley Larrabee did well to shut down specific players on M-E.  

Players who usually score were also shut down specifically by Maci Wheeler," said Hogan. "She knew going into this that she was designated specific players to keep an eye on and she did just that. She disrupted the play, while our defensive line worked well to get the ball back up the field.  

"These girls had another fantastic season," added Hogan. "They made it to the sectional finals for the second year in a row, and to do it back-to-back, now in a bigger class, says a lot. Today, they showed grit and worked hard for each other."

Just three minutes and 15 seconds into the game, Gianna DeSantis ripped a high, arching shot from about 35 yards out that Waverly keeper Claire Clonch got a hand on, but could not push over the crossbar.

Maine-Endwell maintained the 1-0 lead into the early minutes of the second half, but it wasn't without Waverly threatening to knot up the score.

Waverly's best scoring opportunity came when junior Ryleigh rifled a shot that caromed off the crossbar.

About four minutes later, sophomore Lilliana Boothby collected a long goal kick from Clonch and fired a shot from the wing that the M-E keeper stopped, and briefly mishandled, but collected quickly.

The Spartans took a 2-0 lead about 7 1/2 minutes after the halftime intermission on a goal by Mariska Schild, who beat a pair of Wolverine defenders, then slid a shot past Clonch.

The Wolverines avoided the shutout when sophomore Maci Wheeler bent a corner kick inside the far post to close the gap to 2-1.

The Wolverines wrap up the 2025 campaign with a 7-8-1 record, and will graduate only four seniors — Clonch, Kaitlyn Sutton, Maddie Cron, and Haley Larrabee.

"This is a small, but really good group of seniors," said Hogan.

"We will miss Claire's presence on the field. She has put her body on the line for this team and has struggled through an injury to be there for us when we need her.

"While we only had Kait for two years of eligibility after a transfer from Sayre, she showed us very quickly she is a force to reckoned with," said Hogan. "With her impressive speed and her confidence to take players 1-v-1, Kait will be sorely missed on our front line.
 
"Maddie has moved up the ranks in her varsity career," noted Hogan. "She worked hard to earn her spot on the field.  Maddie is sneaky fast and isn’t afraid of contact. She also does well listening to her teammates and positioning well.

"Haley also worked her way up," said Hogan. "She found her confidence thanks to her track and field career. Haley realized that she had more to bring to soccer than she thought.  She worked hard to build up her soccer skills while honing her speed.  She was our starting midfielder last year, but then we needed her on defense with her speed.  She has learned the position well and will be leaving a large gap in our defensive line."

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