Vestal took command with two goals in the first five minutes Friday night and captured the Southern Tier Athletic Conference girls soccer championship with a 3-0 victory over host Horseheads.
The Golden Bears earned the program’s first conference title since the 2018 team played Chenango Forks to a 1-1 tie to share the crown.
Horseheads was seeking its first STAC title after topping the West Division for the first time since 2010.
Stars of the Game
Ava Schmidt had a goal and an assist for Vestal. Ariana Lozier and Kara Sullivan also scored.
Schmidt opened the scoring 1 minute, 6 seconds into the play with a blast into the side of the net off a Jessie LaClair assist.
Lozier made it 2-0 with 34:55 remaining in the first half and Sullivan’s precision from 23 yards away off a Schmidt feed with 21:32 to go in the game provided the final score. The shot hit the crossbar and bounced over the goal line.
All three were quality goals against Horseheads all-conference keeper Ava Fairbrother.
What It Means
Vestal (15-1) has won 15 consecutive games since opening the season with a 3-2 loss to Syracuse Christian Brothers Academy. The Golden Bears, ranked 10th in New York in Class AA, were an 8-0 winner over Oneonta in the STAC semifinals.
Horseheads, which handed Owego its first loss by a 2-0 score in the other semifinal, saw its six-game winning streak end and dropped to 11-3-1.
The Blue Raiders’ opening game was a 1-0 overtime loss to Vestal.
“Coming in from last game against Horseheads we knew they were a really competitive team and a really strong team and we knew exactly what we had to do,” Schmidt said. “They’re a great team, but we were able to get it done early and kind of take over the game from there.”
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Talking title
“It’s amazing,” Schmidt said. “We worked really hard and we kind of came on strong. We went in with the intensity and the idea we were going to come out with the first pounce and that’s exactly what we did. I’m so proud of this team. This is everything we’ve worked for.”
Quotable
Said Horseheads coach Lee Spencer of Vestal: “They have some very good players. Ava Schmidt is very good. She’s very difficult to handle in the midfield. You always have to know where she is. And they move the ball well. They’re quick. Eighty minutes, I didn’t see them slow down once. They’re a very good team as far as conditioning and I think they play really well together.”
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Up Next
The possibility exists for a third game between the teams, with each playing in semifinal games Oct. 21.
Vestal is top seed for the Section 4 Class AA tournament and hosts fourth-seeded Union-Endicott. Horseheads is the No. 2 seed and will be home against Ithaca.
Spencer said Horseheads will learn a lot from Friday’s game.
“We’re going to see the mistakes we made and I think going into sectionals we’re actually going to have a chance to have a few practices and get a little bit of rest and get our legs underneath us,” he said. “Three weeks this year we played three games in four days. That taxes you a lot.”
By the numbers
Vestal will be going for a 13th consecutive sectional title, a streak that began in 2010. There was no sectional tournament in the 2020-21 school year because of COVID.
“This is just the beginning of our sectional run,” Schmidt said. “I’m super excited for this team and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Vestal beat Horseheads in the STAC girls soccer final