Oct

ESM girls stuns Whitesboro, goes to Class A semis

Phil Blackwell 10/30/09

A deep advancement for the East Syracuse-Minoa girls soccer team in the Section III Class A playoffs would require knocking off the top seed, Whitesboro, in the quarterfinal round.
And that’s exactly what the Spartans pulled off on Thursday, riding another spectacular performance from Allyson Rossi to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Warriors to set up a semifinal date with two-time defending champion Cortland early this week.
Whitesboro had dominated the Tri-Valley League this fall, earning a 13-1-1 record to gain that top seed, but no one on the Warriors’ defense had an answer for Rossi as her post-season roll continued.
A solid defensive effort by the Spartans characterized the first half – and when Rossi beat Rachel Edgin for her first goal, ESM took a 1-0 lead, which stood up until the break.
Whitesboro came to life in the second half, as Emily Clark and Samantha Getman both scored, but Casie Aurichio did not get rattled, the Spartans goalie working her way to 17 saves and keeping her team in it.
It helped, too, that Rossi scored a second time, setting up 20 minutes of overtime. And during that second OT period, Rossi completed her hat trick, the third goal proving to be the difference.
ESM earned the date with Whitesboro by passing through no. 9 seed Carthage 3-0 in last Tuesday night’s opening round at Spartan Stadium, and once again Rossi was in the forefront.
Right from the start, Rossi made runs into the middle of the Carthage defense, forcing double teams by the Comets to try and stop her.
And it still didn’t work, as 6:40 into the game, Rossi’s shot from the point flew past Carthage goalkeeper Sarah Johnson into the left side of the net.
It remained 1-0 for a while. Carthage only got the occasional corner kick against a stingy Spartan defense where Kelsey Temple, Andrea Riedman, Lauren Greiner and Caitlyn Hennessey offered protection for Casie Auricchio, who only had to make four saves.
Attacking most of the time, ESM kept hitting shots at Johnson, who made 16 saves. But the pressure took a toll and, in the 53rd minute, led to Rossi getting fouled inside the 18-yard box.
Rossi converted the ensuing penalty kick, the ball slipping out of the hands of the diving Johnson into the net, and a fast break with 2:40 left produced the clincher as Rossi fed Sarah Britton for the last goal.
The upset of Whitesboro leads ESM into the semifinals against Cortland, a team it split with during the regular season. The winner gets Jamesville-DeWitt or Watertown in the finals.

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)
TAGS: ESM, girls soccer, Whitesboro, Carthage, Class A playoffs
EDITION: Eagle Bulletin