Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Fairport uses second-half surge to clinch AAA title

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By PAUL GOTHAM

WEBSTER, N.Y. — Savanna Biehler staked Fairport girls’ soccer to an early 2- nil lead in Tuesday’s Section V Class AAA championship game.

But the Red Raiders were unable to gain any separation before halftime. A pair of shots that rang posts thwarted their efforts.

“If I’m their coach, I’m saying we’re one goal away from turning this game around and stealing the momentum,” Fairport head man Tom Natalie said echoing his sentiments shared during halftime.

Natalie’s squad heeded their coach’s warning.

Charlotte Finkbeiner and Andrea Wilson connected for a goal apiece in the opening nine minutes of the second stanza, and top-seeded Fairport (11-5-0) went on to a 6-0 victory over No. 2 Rush-Henrietta at Webster Schroeder High School.

“We always talk about the first five minutes of every half,” Natalie said. “We want to set a tone and get opportunities. Don’t worry about scoring as much as generating opportunities whether that’s corners or crosses. We’ve really been working on that.”

Less than six minutes after the break, Finkbeiner converted a Eliana Biehler corner kick to start the second-half offense. Savanna Biehler set up Wilson for a strike from just outside the 18-yard box. Wilson all but put the game away when she found the back of the net for her second straight goal.

“We had the wind and wanted to stay in their end,” Natalie explained. “It’s really tough when you’re just trying to get the ball out. We really tried to keep the ball in their end even if it wasn’t pretty, that was our focus going into the second half.

“We talked about if we put the pressure on, can we get in their psyche. Get a ball in the back of the net and really take control of the game. That was our big push for the first five minutes of the half.”

Eliana Biehler capped the scoring in the 63rd minute to go with her two assists on the night. Wilson accounted for an assist while Lola Pucci and Lea Pagani contributed a helper apiece. Giuliana Rosario (1 save) and Addison Tally (2 saves) combined for the shutout. Savanna Biehler leads Fairport with 28 goals.

The championship was the second straight for Fairport and eighth sectional title in program history.

The Red Raiders swept the regular season series with Rush-Henrietta before taking Tuesday’s championship game.

“Their attention to detail and everything they do on both sides of the ball was fantastic,” R-H head coach Michael Seidel said of Fairport “Our girls played well, they put their hearts into it and played the best game we could. Fairport just didn’t make any errors. They’re a solid team, and I wish them the best.”

Fairport advances to the state quarterfinals where the Red Raiders will meet the Section VI champion in the Far West Regional.

“It’s really come together nicely,” Natalie said of his team’s season. “We started pretty good this year. We came in believing in each other. We had a lot of young talent coming up and some good senior leadership. The girls really hit it off. They hit the weight room all summer long. It’s been a season of momentum, and we’re finishing strong.”

The Class AAA Far West Regional is scheduled for Saturday, November 9th at Williamsville East High School.

Rush-Henrietta defeated RCSD United to open the three-team tournament.

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