The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Armideo, Homer clip Oneida to start season
Trojans advance to title match of Chittenango tournament
CHITTENANGO, N.Y. » The Oneida girls soccer team had its best season in recent memory last fall after dropping its season opener to Homer 2-0, finishing with a 9-5- 4 overall record and winning a firstround game in the Section III Class B playoffs.
This year’s squad, which features nine returning starters, fared slightly better in its first match but still couldn’t top the Trojans.
Nina Armideo’s goal in the 33rd minute proved to be the difference for Homer in a 1-0 victory in the opening round of Chittenango’s More than a Game Tournament.
The Trojans advance to face the winner of Wednesday night’s game between the hosting Bears and Solvay on Friday at 5 p.m. while Oneida will face the loser at 3 p.m.
The two teams were very evenly matched throughout the contest. Oneida quickly earned a corner kick in the fifth minute with the ball bouncing to Dana Ratnarajah, whose shot was saved by Homer keeper Anna Gugerty. Ratnarajah got another look in the 12th minute but Gugerty was again up to the challenge, stopping the low shot.
The Trojans’ quickly countered and Kaelyn Tallman got a quality shot in transition but Kyra Shlotzhauer dove to
her right to make the save and keep the match scoreless.
Shlotzhauer added another save in the 26th minute on a Sophia Thomas try before Armideo sent a free kick over the crossbar in the 27th.
The Homer senior would not, however, miss on her next chance. Armideo ripped a high shot past Shlotzhauer in the 33rd minute, giving the Trojans a 1- 0 lead they would take into halftime.
Abigail Wagner looked like she would add to that advantage in the 49th minute, taking a perfect pass from teammate Jordan Marsh at the far post and putting a shot on goal. Oneida’s Abigail Carroll denied the try, stepping in to block the ball from going into the goal and keeping it a one- goal match.
Oneida continued to push for an equalizer throughout the second half, earning three corners over the final 40 minutes. The third nearly produced an equalizer in the 66th minute when Rachel DeRuby kicked the ball in to the far post but there was no one home to finish.
DeRuby had previously set up Oneida’s best chance to knot the match in the 63rd minute, skillfully weaving through the defense before delivering a pass to Kayla Suppa in front of the goal. Suppa put a solid head on the ball but it sailed wide of the near post.