STAC GIRLS SOCCER: WAVERLY RALLIES FOR 3-2 SEASON-OPENING WIN OVER OWEGO (24 PHOTOS) (September 1, 2026)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Waverly had three different goal-scorers, and rallied in the second half for a 3-2 season-opening win over Owego here Tuesday in STAC Central Division girls soccer action.
"First games of the season are always rocky, especially when you don't have a solidified starting lineup," said Waverly coach Tara Hogan. "We learned a lot from our scrimmages (Monday) and made a lot of adjustments based off that feedback.
"Despite the awful humidity, the girls played well," she noted. "Our starting defensive line (Sophia Dorsey, Makenzie Olmsted, and Hannah Carpenter) did a phenomenal job. They communicated well with each other and to their teammates.
"(Keeper) Taylin (Gonzalez) had a great showing today as well.
"As for the whole team, we'll need to work on positioning a bit more and making quicker decisions to get rid of the ball," said Hogan. "We had a lot of great opportunities with Gianna Soprano working very well with Ryleigh (Judson), Lilliana (Schooner), and Kaylin (Twedt).
"Gianna had a lot of opportunities, and Kezlyn DeKay had a great start today, where she got to showcase her speed," added Hogan.
Just 92 seconds into the game, junior Gianna Soprano outran an Owego defender to take a pass from freshman Andraya Hoey, then slid a shot back behind the keeper just inside the far post to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
With 24:38 remaining in the first half, Owego standout Ashlyn Dalton was on the receiving end of a nifty give-and-go and tied the game with a quick shot into the Wolverine goal.
The game remained tied at 1-1, despite a pair of golden breakaway opportunities for the Wolverines.
About four minutes into the second half, Dalton gave the River Hawks a 2-1 lead with a penalty kick.
Three minutes later, junior Lilliana Schooner drove the ball down the right sideline, crossed it on the ground to senior Ryleigh Judson, who put the ball in the net with 32:32 remaining to tie the game at 2-2.
With 18:54 remaining, junior Kaylin Twedt took a feed from freshman Skyler Rose, ran past an Owego defender and punched a shot past the Owego keeper to put the Wolverines up 3-2.
Owego had a 17-11 advantage in shots-on-goal, while Waverly posted a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.
Sophomore Taylin Gonzalez recorded 15 saves in net for the Wolverines.
Waverly returns to action Thursday morning at Oneonta.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Ryleigh Judson. IN TOP PHOTO: Waverly's Lilliana Schoonover. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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