Valley Sports ReportLATHAM, N.Y. — Waverly split a pair of games over the weekend in the New York State Girls Soccer Hall of Fame Tournament.
On Friday, Waverly dropped a 3-0 decision to Section III’s Central Valley Academy.
The Wolverines bounced back Saturday with a 3-2 win over St. Lawrence here at Shaker High School.
Central Valley Academy 3, Waverly 0
Central Valley took a 1-0 lead late in the first half, and put the game away with a pair of second-half goals.
“We had a phenomenal first half,” said Waverly coach Tara Hogan. “The girls took about four minutes to gauge how to work against CVA and went with it. They had momentum and great energy.
“CVA was a very strong opponent and we played very well against them overall,” she noted. “Their first goal was close to impossible for Claire to get.
CVA had a 19-5 edge in shots-on-goal, while both teams had two corner kicks.
Junior Claire Clonch recorded 14 saves in net for the Wolverines.
“Our defenders — Makenzie Olmsted, Kendall Rockwell, Maci Wheeler, and Lilly Boothby-Schoonover — had a phenomenal game,” said Hogan.
“These girls didn’t leave the field and played as hard as we needed them to,” she added.
Waverly 3, St. Lawrence 2
On Saturday, Addison Westbrook, who sat out last season with a major knee injury, made the first goal of her senior season a big one — the game-winner in the Wolverines’ 3-2 win over St. Lawrence.
“The fact that we had played a game not 24 hours before this — against a team that hadn’t played it’s 2nd game yet, and still came out with the win is a feat,” said Hogan.
“We had a late night the night before, and a relatively early start (Saturday) morning,” she noted. “We started significantly slower this game, but still moved the ball relatively well.
“We struggled with getting rid of the ball as fast as we should have been. We also struggled with girls being out of position,” she added. “We are still working out kinks.”
Senior Kiley Stillman scored Waverly’s first two goals, including the only goal of the first half, which came off a feed from junior Kaitlyn Sutton.
St. Lawrence tied the game early in the second half, but Stillman, off a feed from Loralei Anthony, scored three minutes later to make it 2-1 with 25 minutes remaining in the contest.
St. Lawrence tied the game midway through the second half, setting up Westbrook’s game-winner — a long looping shot over the keeper’s outstretched hands from well outside the 18 — with 10 minutes left in the contest.
Hogan lauded the play of Stillman and Westbrook.
“Kiley Stillman was as aggressive as ever and had two phenomenal shots.
“Addy Westbrook has been so impressive considering she was just cleared a few weeks ago to play,” said Hogan. “She lobbed the ball high up and over their goalie for the game winning goal.
“Our captains came through this game,” she added.
Waverly had a 14-7 advantage in shots-on-goal, and a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.
Clonch recorded six saves in net for the Wolverines.
Waverly, now 2-1, returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Oneonta.
————————
PHOTOS BY DANIELLE HICKEY STREETER.
