By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Prior to Friday night, Samantha Bates lacked confidence in her left foot.
That might change after the senior midfielder’s performance on the field at Gates-Chili High School.
Bates netted pair of goals as top-seeded Holley claimed the 2023 Section V Class C1 Girls’ Soccer championship with a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Williamson.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead at halftime, Bates took possession along the left wing and beat one defender on a 30-yard rush before going far post for the eventual game winner.
“I honestly didn’t think that was going to go in because that was with my left foot and I was near the end line,” she said. “Even though both my goals were with my left foot, I don’t usually do that. It depends on the day.”
The championship was the first for the Holley girls’ soccer program since 1994.
“I knew this group had it in them,” said Holley head coach Renee Wolf. “It was just whether they were going to go that extra mile, work together and finish the ball. We were able to do that today.”
The goals were the 26th and 27th of the season for Bates.
“I’m super-proud of Sammy,” Wolf said. “She has really stepped it up this season. She hasn’t gotten in her own head. She comes back and wins ball. She has just really stepped it up to level of play that I know she can be at.”
The second goal triggered the Holley attack which continued to dictate play for the first 20 minutes of the second half.
“We knew that they would make adjustments,” Wolf said. “I took one of my center-mids and balanced them in the middle between our center-mid and our stopper, so that they didn’t get locked in the middle like they were a little bit in the first half.
Elizabeth Brandt converted off a corner kick for the lone Williamson goal.
Holley will play either Byron-Bergen or Keshequa in the Class C regional qualifier next Wednesday.
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