Soccer

Flying lessons

Lady Bulldogs continue to hone their attack in needed win while Roscoe gains valuable experience on the fly

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Viewed out of context, the October 4 Sullivan West 5-0 win over Roscoe, the smallest high school in Section Nine and, indeed, one of the smallest in the state, might be seen as a mismatch. According to New York State Public High School Athletic Association data filed a year ago, Roscoe’s enrollment of 76 was dwarfed by Sullivan West’s tally at the time of 384.

When it comes to fielding teams, size matters in terms of drawing from an available talent pool. But as many David-versus-Goliath tales in sports have shown (Remember “Hoosiers?”), heart and skill matter too and Roscoe, despite its diminutive aggregate numbers, lacks neither.

Besides, you can only put 11 players on the soccer pitch at a time.

Both teams arrived for their non-league frays with rosters of 16. Despite their size difference, both squads have had their share of struggles this fall. Sullivan West came in with only two wins to its credit against eight losses, while Roscoe’s lone victory against 10 defeats was its October 1 win against Margaretville. The Lady Bulldogs’ most recent game resulted in a 1-1 tie versus Tuxedo, so both teams looked to build on this week’s milestones as they got set for their non-league fray on a gorgeous fall afternoon.

For Roscoe coach Amanda Davis, a former Sullivan West player, the ongoing agenda is about getting her team to maintain consistent play in a season marked by a pattern of ebb and flow. That was about to be tested by Mike Ellmauer’s crew, who are hoping to garner enough league wins in the coming weeks to make it to the sectionals. Last year, they were eliminated by a tie with Liberty on the final day of the season.

Roscoe pressed its attack in the opening minutes, ,keeping the ball in the Sullivan West end but couldn’t capitalize on that advantage. Once Sullivan West cleared the ball, its spreading vanguard freely passed the ball across to one another and out-hustled Roscoe’s defenders for a bevy of early chances by strikers Sarah Lander and Katrina Graby. Lady Blue Devil keeper Kasse Brock, one of only three seniors on the squad, held on for a nice save as she and Graby came face to face on an early onslaught.

A corner kick nearly netted Lander one, but Brock held on again. Sullivan West finally broke through at 9:30 on a slicing shot from the left side by Audryanna Ward, who had picked up a cross from Lander for the 1-0 lead. The ball quickly found its way back in the Roscoe end again, a place it would inhabit for the better part of the afternoon. A short while later at 12:02, Lander benefited from a nice pass from Graby and buried it in the top of the net behind Brock to double the lead to 2-0.

A third first-period goal was added to the tally at 27:27 as Lander returned the favor and sent one across from the left side to Graby’s waiting foot.

The teams retired to halftime with Sullivan West leading 3-0. Roscoe’s hustle and tenaciousness in the midfield had prevented it from becoming a larger deficit. That said, although the Lady Blue Devils often hustled to get to the ball, they often yielded to Sullivan West’s more aggressive play at the point of attack. Gritty play by sophomores Amanda Huggins, Taylor DeVantier and freshman Paige Clancy were some of the exceptions to that deferral.

Roscoe players took Davis’s halftime talk to heart and played with greater intensity in the second half. Its best chance came off a corner kick at 13:28 after keeping the ball in, but Sullivan West’s stiffening defense prevented any compromise of its shutout. Keeper Kristen Niemann, who had survived a hailstorm of shots in the Tuxedo game, was barely tested in this one. In the game’s final 10 minutes, she was rewarded for her efforts by being transferred to the front line. She repaid that privilege with a goal off a direct kick at 7:40. That fifth goal had been preceded by Lander’s second of the day that had come at 14:37 in the second half on an assist by Morgan Edwards.

While Niemann was roaming the front line, Jillian Fife had replaced her in the quiet cage at the opposite end of the field.

Niemann recorded six saves for 3-8-1 Sullivan West, while Brock tallied 10 for Roscoe. Kiera Browne saved an additional six for the Lady Blue Devils, who fell to 1-11. Roscoe had 16 shots on goal to Sullivan West’s 37, a statistic that points to the Lady Bulldogs’ control of the flow.

Davis acknowledged that several of her players had never played soccer before and were doing a good job of learning on the fly. Ellmauer hopes that his team is beginning to turn the corner and that some of the things it has been working hard on in practice are beginning to gel. That hope took a step forward in the team’s game the next day.

Sullivan West built on its win as it hosted Port Jervis on October 5. The Lady Bulldogs came back from a 0-2 deficit to win 4-3 behind four goals from Lander. Roscoe heads back to Margaretville on October 11 for a non-league rematch, before traveling to Eldred for a league game on October 12.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of pictures from the Roscoe game.