By PAUL GOTHAM
WEBSTER, N.Y. — When the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) restructured classifications heading into the 2023-24 school year, Webster Thomas was among the schools making the move to from Class A to AA.
Early returns indicate the girls’ soccer team is making a smooth transition.
Catherine Rogers netted three goals as the host Titans knocked off their second AA opponent in as many outings with a 3-1 win over Victor, on Thursday.
Rogers connected three times in a span of nine minutes to help Thomas improve to 2-0 on the season.
“It’s her vision and understanding of where the space is,” Thomas head coach Scott Brown said of the senior midfielder. “Obviously, she’s got a fantastic first touch. Then you can see her ability to glide past people with her control.”
Rogers broke a scoreless tie in the 22nd minute with an assist from teammate Julianna Moses. Two minutes later, she found the back of the net with help from Sophie Esders. Rogers completed the natural hat trick when she combined again with Esders for a 3-nil lead.
“Where we’ve got her right now, that’s what we’re looking for,” Brown said. “Can she find those gaps and those spaces? When she gets her opportunities like she did tonight, she can put the ball in the back of the net.”
The offensive output came during a first half when Thomas outshot Victor 9-3 and had a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks attempted.
Rogers and Esders combined for all three goals in the Titans’ 3-1 win over Penfield in its season opener on Tuesday.
“Offensively, I think we’re playing really well,” Brown said. “We’re moving off the ball really well. We’ve put in a bunch of goals. The big issue is going to be defense for us because we’ve got a lot of new (to varsity) players on the defensive side. That was the big transition this year was getting our defense ready.”
The game was played without the impact of weather until the final 20 minutes when a steady downpour covered the field.
“I wanted to see how they could handle that,” Brown said. “They just kinda went with the flow… The energy was there the whole time. They didn’t stop running.”
Lightning in the area forced a 30-minute delay with 3:54 remaining in the game.
JJ Bay stopped three shots and Makenna Curry made one save in the win.
Kaylin Smith scored the lone goal for Victor (1-2-0) goal with an assist from Olivia McKinnon.
Rogers finished with 16 goals and 38 points a season ago when she was named First Team All-County for a second straight year.
“First of all, it’s her leadership,” Brown said. “That comes number one. She’s the first one at practice, the last one leaving. She’s getting everyone running. She’s encouraging everybody.”
Thomas along with seven-time reigning Class A champion Spencerport, Pittsford Mendon, Our Lady of Mercy, Greece Athena, Canandaigua and Churchville-Chili (among others) join Webster Schroeder, Penfield, Hilton, Brighton, and Victor in Class AA.
“Double-A is brutal,” Brown said. “There are a lot of good teams. Whoever makes it out of that is going to have to win some tough games.”
Webster Thomas visits Rush-Henrietta on Monday for a 5 PM start. Victor hosts Penfield on Monday for a 7 PM kickoff.
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