By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Maya Larimer and Rachel Lee scored a goal apiece as the Pittsford Mendon girls’ soccer team downed crosstown rival Pittsford Sutherland, 2-0 in Section V Class A semifinal action at Eastridge High School.
The win was the fourth straight for the Lady Vikings who are undefeated in 12 of their last 13 matches. Their only setback during that stretch coming to Penfield which advanced to the Class AA championship.
Mendon (No. 14 NYSSWA) will meet three-time reigning champion Spencerport (No. 9 NYSSWA) in Saturday’s Class A championship game.
Wednesday’s tilt was the third this year between Mendon and Sutherland with both teams winning a game apiece during the regular season.
“I thought we were lucky because we both won one game,” said Mendon head coach Eric Pritchard whose squad took a 1-nil decision in the second meeting of the rivals on September 24th. “It wasn’t like we swept, or they swept and you had to go and win again. Since you both won one I think you’re good when you play teams three times like that.”
After struggling to muster many scoring opportunities in the early going, Larimer ran on to a Grace O’Hara flick along the left wing and found the back of the net from outside the 18-yard box. It was the sophomore midfielder’s second tally of the season.
“We started the first half very nervous,” Pritchard noted. “We did not play very well. Sutherland was all over us and beat us to everything.”
Mendon needed less than 15 minutes of the second half to add to the lead. Lee connected from 30 yards out for her fifth marker of the season. Elena Barr assisted on the play.
“We just had to settle down and complete more passes,” Pritchard said of his squad’s approach to the second half. “That’s what we focused on and the end result was getting more shots on target. We stopped just kicking it and freaking out every time.”
Ary Lougher made three saves for the clean sheet.
Sutherland won the first meeting between the two teams, 1-0.
The Class A championship game is scheduled for a 3 PM start time Saturday at Canandaigua Academy.
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