By PAUL GOTHAM
FILLMORE, N.Y. — Levi Russell added to his team-leading scoring total, and the Fillmore defense continued its stingy play as the host Eagles (13-0-0) topped Kendall (6-7-2), 3-0 in non-league action, Monday morning.
Russell started the scoring in the match’s 20th minute and put the game out of reach with 11:04 left on the clock.
“He’s always aware of where he needs to be,” Fillmore head coach Jarrett Vosburg said of the junior forward who has 19 goals on the season to go with 10 assists. “His positioning is flawless. Because of that, he’s constantly aware of where he is on the field. It makes some of those goals look really easy that would be really hard if he wasn’t constantly tracking where he was on the field.”
Russell took advantage of a rebound off Campbell Mucher’s header attempt and found the back of the net. Later, the 5-foot-7 forward flicked in a Braylon Hatch throw-in to complete his brace.
“He’s got a lot of heart and a lot of courage,” Vosburg said. “He’s not the biggest guy in the box, but he will run through a brick wall if you need him to. So, I think that’s a special thing that he has.”
Russell’s production has been timely for the Eagles who have had to figure out how to replace the 35 goals that then senior Isaiah Sisson scored for last year’s NYS co-championship team.
“You can never really fill Sisson’s shoes from last year, but we’ve kind of done it by committee,” Vosburg said. “These last couple of weeks, he’s really stepped up and got a lot of goals for us, so, in some big moments. So it was good to see that today.”
Jared Boon made six saves for the shutout – Fillmore’s fifth straight clean sheet and 12th of the season.
The Eagles have limited opponents to two total goals on the campaign.
“I was very pleased with our defensive effort today. I thought we were really clicking. With our back line, we were able to start our offensive attack, and it really made a difference for us.”
Hatch and Avery Potter anchor the effort that held Kendall to one shot on target over the final 40 minutes of the match.
“Being able to start the offense from the back line is kind of a hallmark of a quality team, and I was pleased with how we were able to do that today,” Vosburg said. “It’s been a good year for us on the back line.”
Ninth-grader Ezra Schilke gave Fillmore a 2-nil lead less than one minute into the second half. Isaac Wilcox had an assist on the play.
The game was a late addition to both teams’ schedules after Fillmore had a cancellation in its season slate.
“I was glad Kendall was willing to come down,” Vosburg said. “They play a lot of different competition in their league. Their record is not indicative of how good they are. They’re a solid, solid squad. They’ve had a lot of good games, so it’s good to have them here.”
Fillmore will host a 7 PM kickoff with Genesee Valley-Belfast on Tuesday.
Kendall will travel for. 6:30 PM game at Wheatland-Chili on Tuesday.
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