By PAUL GOTHAM
WILLIAMSON, N.Y. — Denied the chance for a proper start to the fall high school sports season, it seemed fitting that at least one of the games on opening night went extra time.
And less than ideal playing conditions didn’t take away from the enthusiasm.
“To be able to finally play is awesome,” Williamson head coach Sarah Klejment said after her Marauders rallied for a 1-1 draw with Bishop Kearney/Chesterton. “Everybody is so excited to be playing. Honest to God, they’d have played in snow today. I don’t think anything would have kept any of the girls off the field.”
A game that began with the sun trying to peak through cloudy skies quickly changed. A persistent rain started 10 minutes into the match and stayed for the duration. The precipitation came in varying degrees and forms.
“How about hail? Hail!,” Klejment said laughing. “Both teams did an awesome job dealing with the elements, today and pushing through it.”
Kaia Goode scored in the sixth minute to give Bishop Kearney/Chesterton an early lead. The junior forward took a Morgan Williams lead along the left side, cut back just inside the 18-yard box and tucked a a shot under the crossbar for the first goal of the season.
The game stayed that way into halftime before senior co-captain Cadie Newby finished from inside the 6-yard box to level the match in the 46th minute. Shaylyn Miller assisted on the play.
A lot happened on opening night of @SecVAthletics soccer season tonight, including @KaiaGoode of @BKHS_Sports girls soccer @KGoode_BKKings scoring a magnificent goal from edge of 18-yard box and @SodusSchools boys soccer sending home a whopping 8 goals in a rainy, rainy drencher. pic.twitter.com/8rVw2xLPTv
— Matt Trabold (@TrabsMatt) October 3, 2020
Neither team found the back of the net for the remainder of regulation nor two overtime sessions.
Chloe Jordan made 13 saves in goal for Williamson. Akon Awouk had five stops for Bk/Chesterton.
Morgan Baumgartner sends this just over the bar. 8 to go @BKHS_Sports GSOC 1 @WillMarauders 1 pic.twitter.com/t15oNmLKxR
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 2, 2020
“It was rough not having a summer season,” Klejment said. “We had two weeks of practices to try and figure stuff out. We had a lot of changes we are making this year. This was definitely a good start.”
A year ago, both teams had played nine games by this date. Last season, though, COVID-19 was not a part of everyday language.
The pandemic which halted winter sports earlier this year before cancelling spring activities, created an adjusted ledger for fall sports. Instead of starting with practices in August to prepare for the start of games in early September, squads didn’t start training until after school started.
“It’s just trying to get used to how we weren’t able to play and trying to figure things out,” Klejment noted. “The girls did a lot of stuff on their own. Obviously, our conditioning is not where I would like it to be. We’ve got a lot of conditioning to still work on.”
The change in schedule hasn’t altered the Marauders’ overall approach. Class C1 sectional co-champions a year, Williamson jumps to B2 with the same goals in mind.
“Our whole mantra is we train every day for a sectional title,” Klejment stated. “We’ve been doing that for years since I took over the varsity position. We know it’s there. We know we have a target on our back. We know people want to take us down with us being a sectional champion, but the girls are really focused.
“We train all the time to be sectional champions. When I hand out my schedule at the beginning of the year, it goes all the way out to states. This year, I couldn’t take it out to states, but the dates go all the way out to the end of sectionals. I tell them you’ve got have those dates in your head every time you step on the field for practice or a game.”
The teams faced each other twice last year. Williamson took the first meeting 5-4 and the teams played to 2-2 tie on October 1.
Goode, the point guard on the school’s basketball team, led Kearney with 14 goals and 11 assists in 2019. She was one of three players on the BK roster to account for double-digit tallies along with Emily Tytler (11) and Taylor Norris (10). The Kings graduated three players from that squad which finished with nine wins, eight losses and one tie.
Newby, a player on varsity since seventh grade, finished with 12 goals and nine assists in 2019. Fellow senior Sophia Konstantinou led Williamson with 18 markers and 10 helpers. Paige Jordan, then a sophomore, accounted for 10 goals and an assist. Wiliamson posted a 13-4 mark a year ago. The Marauders shared the sectional title with Warsaw in 2019. Warsaw advanced on PKs.
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