By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — MacKenzie Hagen scored in the first overtime, and No. 4 Byron-Bergen clinched a third straight sectional title with a 4-3 win over No. 3 Keshequa in Section V Class C2 Girls’ Soccer action, Friday night from Gates-Chili High School.
Hagen’s golden strike with 10:56 remaining in the first overtime session ended a game that saw the Bees score the match’s first goal less than 15 minutes into the contest and then find themselves trailing with 5:22 remaining in regulation before netting the equalizer in the final seconds.
“I’ve never been part of a game that went back and forth like that,” said Byron-Bergen head coach Wayne Hill. “I’ve been a part where we’ve scored a lot of goals, or somebody else has scored a lot on us, but not like that back and forth. That was just bizarre.”
Hagen took a pass from teammate Grace DiQuattro along the right flank and used a pair of touches before sending a blast into the opposite-side netting.
“The through ball from Grace was a perfect pass,” Hagen said. “I couldn’t ask for a better pass.”
The goal was her 26th of the season.
85’ GOLDEN GOAL! MacKenzie Hagen connects. Grace DiQuattro with the assist. Byron-Bergen three-time Class C2 champs. 4-3. pic.twitter.com/cllyTY5EUg
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 28, 2023
“It took our whole team moving up, passing and working together,” she said. “We were pushing. The defense had moved over to one side, and they left me open.”
That the Bees reached overtime was due in large part because of DiQuattro’s effort. The sophomore forward had two goals including a conversion off a corner kick with :21 seconds remaining.
Wowzers! Grace DiQuattro off the corner kick nets the equalizer with :21 seconds remaining. Going to overtime Class C2 @secvgirlssoccer Byron-Bergen 3 Keshequa 3 pic.twitter.com/YBSXACdZTo
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 28, 2023
“It’s amazing,” DiQuattro said of the win. “It’s so cool playing for this program.”
On the winning play, DiQuattro intercepted a clearing attempt before finding Hagen for the winner.
“The defense wasn’t stepping to me, and I just took it. Once they stepped to me, I saw Kenzie make that run. She was in a perfect spot, and I knew that she had that shot. She had perfect placement to the corner. It’s incredible.”
Hagen split a pair of Keshequa defenders to find the twine.
“I was just like ‘c’mon, c’mon go in, please,'” DiQuattro said. “And it did.”
Twice Keshequa (17-3-0), the Class D1 champion and state semifinalist a year ago, erased deficits before taking a lead.
“It’s just who they are,” said Keshequa head coach Pat Forrester. “They are fighters. They fought last year. They all are back. They fight. They don’t get down. They stay up. The kids on the bench keep them up. They’re a very special group of young ladies.”
Mia Gray gave Byron-Bergen the early edge.
14’ Class C2 @secvgirlssoccer Mia Gray converts on a corner kick to give Byron-Bergen an early 1- nil lead. pic.twitter.com/w0J2uvVIP9
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 27, 2023
Braelyn Isaman leveled the match for Keshequa heading into halftime.
DiQuattro connected on her first goal for a 2-1 Byron-Bergen lead with 27.11 remaining in regulation. Ava Thayer scored 16 seconds later to tie the game.
Thayer gave the Indians their first advantage of the game with 5:22 left on the clock.
74’ Ava Thayer connects for her second goal of the game to give Keshequa a 3-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/HP7qINXKsu
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 28, 2023
“It’s old school, but at halftime we decided we’re going long ball,” Forrester said. “We were working. We were finding open players. We shut them down like we wanted, but we weren’t getting the runs we wanted. We wanted to get it up top and let our two targets go to work, and they did. That was something we don’t normally do. That’s soccer when I played. We’re more finesse now.”
Keshequa (17-3-0) had won nine straight games heading into Friday’s contest.
“They had some great corner kicks that we hadn’t seen in film, so we weren’t ready for,” Forrester said. “We played them well…21 seconds, right? It would have been a different conversation.”
“They stopped us,” Hill said. “That was a phenomenal team. We were not able to do what we wanted to do. I hope they weren’t able to do what they wanted to do. Keshequa played a heckuva game. In situations like this, nobody deserves to lose. That’s just a reality.”
The game was a fitting end to bracket that saw five teams (Naples, Caledonia-Mumford, Dundee-Bradford, Geneseo and Kendall) with double-digit wins during the regular season get eliminated before the semifinals.
“It was a very tough bracket,” Forrester said. “In overtime, we said ‘you have to leave everything on the field and play hard, don’t have any regrets when you walk off. I think we did that.”
Byron-Bergen will play Genesee Region foe Holley in the Class C regional qualifier.
“I couldn’t be happier for these girls,” Hill said. “It feels great. I’m not going to lie. Any time you’re a champion it feels great. It’s all for them. It just builds the program. Holley won C1. We won C2, so it’s a great statement for our league. I’m happy about that.”
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