Farrell adds to hot streak
Freshman’s fourth goal in two games is game-winner against Ichabod Crane
Tim Kelley was not surprised to see a dropoff in the overall intensity level from his Voorheesville girls’ soccer team Monday afternoon. In their previous game Friday night, the Blackbirds earned a tie against Schalmont — the state’s top-ranked Class B squad.
It took a while for the Blackbirds to kick things into gear against visiting Ichabod Crane. Virtually every second of the second half was spent in the Riders’ defensive zone and that pressure paid dividends with 19:14 remaining when freshman striker Emma Farrell glanced a lefty shot down off the bottom of the crossbar that bounced past the line as Voorheesville registered a 1-0 victory in Colonial Council play.
“A win is a win. We got through it,” Kelley said.
The result Monday improved Voorheesville’s record to 7-2-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the Colonial Council.
Clearly, the Blackbirds were not as crisp as they were Friday in a 4-4 deadlock against Schalmont. In that game, Farrell tallied a trio of goals.
“How about little Emma Farrell? The freshman has got four goals in the last two games,” Kelley said. “She also had one called back on a header vs. Schalmont. She’s
really playing well.”
“I think this is going to be a good season for us, especially in sectionals,” Voorheesville junior striker Kaelyn Lawson said. “Schalmont is usually the top seed. We know we can match up to them.”
Voorheesville, unranked in Class B, is a squad certainly capable of competing with the best Section II has to offer.
“They are always the biggest threat and people are scared of them,” Lawson said of Schalmont. “It felt good to score four on them.”
The offense was not quite as prolific against a pesky Ichabod Crane contingent that played a defensiveminded contest.
“They packed the box and played us tough,” Kelley said.
Lawson, who leads Voorheesville with 15 goals and 10 assists, did not play in the second half after tweaking her knee in the opening 40 minutes.
Much of the offensive slack after intermission fell upon senior standout Jayden Kelley (10 goals, five assists) and Farrell. That duo generated a wealth of chances, culminated by Farrell’s conversion of a cross from junior Amanda Gillenwalters.
“I definitely feel like we are coming together,” Lawson said. “We have brought up some younger girls that have huge talent. We had tired legs today, but we picked things up to get the win.”
The Blackbirds feature a new defensive unit in front of goalies Leah Weber and Maggie Thayer.
Sweeper Julia Gleasman, who has missed two years because of injuries, is back and starting as a junior for the Blackbirds. Sophomore Megan Romansky turned in a strong showing Monday.
Voorheesville would be even stronger in the back, but senior Allie Kelley is out for the season because of injury.
Voorheesville dropped its second game of the season to Stillwater, the state’s No. 1 ranked Class C squad, and fell to Holy Names in Colonial Council play.
Putting together such a strong showing against Schalmont was not a shock to Kelley, who believes his team is just starting to scratch the surface of its potential.
“We’re just as athletic. We’re just as fast. We’re not afraid of them,” Kelley said of Schalmont.
“I think the Colonial is always pretty strong,” Kelley added. “Schalmont is always good. Holy Names is very good. They legitimately beat us 3-1. If we can improve your finishing, with our defense coming around, we can play with anybody. Who knows.”