Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove’s Mary Lundmark scores the Golden Cougars’ second goal during Wednesday’s nonleague soccer game at Randolph.
OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
RANDOLPH — Weeks before the fall season was set to begin, the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley girls soccer program learned that Maple Grove was lacking numbers and the Golden Cougars would be adding five Red Dragons to their squad.
Knowing the talent that the Maple Grove girls would add to his team, Falconer/Cassadaga Valley head coach Brett Johnson welcomed them with open arms.
Early returns Wednesday proved the move was a positive one.
Falconer sophomore Julianna Roth had three goals and two assists, while three of the five Maple Grove girls added to the team tallied points as the Golden Cougars topped nonleague Randolph 6-0 in the season opener for both teams at Weeden Park.
Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove scored twice in the opening seven minutes and added a third midway through the first half to lead 3-0 at halftime.
Randolph’s Stella Smith makes a save during Wednesday’s nonleague game against Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove at Weeden Park in Randolph.
OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
“We definitely made some mistakes. We were expecting a lot of mistakes because we have a lot of new girls moving up to varsity,” Randolph head coach Alexa Troutman said. “The girls have already learned from the first two or three goals. We made some coaching points bringing them off the field and going back on. Our defenders definitely made some adjustments.”
Kress, a Maple Grove sophomore who was a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West and Post-Journal/OBSERVER All-Star last season as a freshman, was all over the ball early Wednesday. She created the first goal of the season for the Golden Cougars when she sent a cross into the 18-yard box that was put home when Roth jumped in front of Randolph keeper Stella Smith and tapped the ball home.
“She’s been on the team since seventh grade. She’s earned the captain’s band. She’s a super-hard worker,” Johnson said of Roth.
“We have all the confidence in the world with her being in the middle of the field and creating opportunities for others.”
Just over three minutes later, Roth sent a cross into the Cardinals’ 18-yard box that eluded a Randolph defender and found the foot of Golden Cougars junior Mary Lundmark, who scored high into the Cardinals’ net.
Golden Cougars’ Kylie Kress settles the ball.
OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
In the 17th minute, Kress made it 3-0 when she received a long ball from Roth, cut back inside of her defender, and lofted a short shot over Smith to her first goal as a Golden Cougar.
“She’s obviously a very talented player. We fill in the holes around her,” Johnson said of Kress. “With her being up top, I think it’s going to open up the door for a lot of people to be successful.”
In the final 10 minutes of the half, Smith put on a superb performance to keep her team close as she stopped Kress in tight, deflected the rebound off the goal post, and then punched away a high ball just outside the 6-yard box. Again in the final minute, Smith made a pair of saves to keep it 3-0 heading into halftime.
“She came up huge for us and got some momentum going. She had those double saves and had a third one off a corner,” Troutman said of Smith. “That was huge for the girls to see her bring that energy. We’re excited to see her grow throughout the season.”
After the break, Maple Grove junior Madilyn Seastrum made it 4-0 when she lofted a long shot from outside the 18-yard box over Smith and into the goal for her first tally as a Golden Cougar.
Randolph’s Gianna Bowles (9) and Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove’s Natalie Dossey fight for the ball during Wednesday’s nonleague game at Weeden Park in Randolph.
OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
Maple Grove junior Gracie Chimera found her way onto the scoresheet in the 62nd minute when she sent a corner kick into the 6-yard box that was tucked home by Roth just inside the near-post.
“It kind of is a veterans’ feel. We have a lot of returning players,” Johnson said. “Some of the Maple Grove girls coming over have a few years of experience. It’s nice to have that presence on the field.”
Roth won a one-on-one battle to complete her hat trick in the 75th minute to cap the scoring.
Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove sophomore Ellyson Baglia preserved the clean sheet with five saves as Randolph began to find a few seams through the Golden Cougars defense in the second half.
“There is a ton to grow on from this game. That’s what we’re excited for moving forward,” Troutman said. “We’re trying to get those slip balls to our forwards. We saw it a couple of times, working on seeing those lanes, playing them quicker and making it a more natural part of our game.”
Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove’s BEDS number jumped up to 387 with the late combining of schools, but the Golden Cougars will remain a Class B team for the Section VI postseason, six students smaller than East Aurora, the largest Class B program. The maximum number before jumping up to Class A is 401.
“It’s been easy. A lot of them already play on travel teams together and know each other through social media,” Johnson said of adding the Maple Grove girls. “The inclusion of them has been pretty seamless. They all get along. It’s been great so far.”