The final weekend of girls soccer season is here.
Five Section V teams are in contention in state tournaments. Some hope to defend state championships, while others pursue their first.
Here’s a look at which teams remain as the fall season comes to a close:
Class AA: Churchville-Chili
These are mostly uncharted waters for the Saints, who have not reached a state semifinal since 2003, and have never played in a state championship game.
Semifinal opponent Warwick is a newcomer to the state tournament. The Wildcats are coming off their first section title in 43 years and have never played in a state semifinal.
Churchville-Chili advanced to regional play after a marathon game against Spencerport in the section final. The regional contest wasn’t so close, as Jill Ewing and Elise Faix scored in a 2-0 win, while keeper Tessa Wood recorded her seventh clean sheet in her last eight games.
Class A: Aquinas Institute
No Section V teams have more state titles than the Lil Irish’s five, largely thanks to a three-peat in the early 2000s.
Aquinas has three shutouts in five postseason contests so far, the latest a 3-0 win over Starpoint-VI in the far west regionals. Sienna Fallone, Savannah Sweet and Elizabeth Valentino scored in that game, while sophomore Briar Hinds posted her 13th shutout of the season.
Aquinas’ semifinal opponent, New Hartford, is currently the top-ranked Class A team in New York state. The Spartans cruised to a Section III title, their fifth straight, and eye a second consecutive state final appearance (New Hartford lost to Pittsford Mendon in last year’s final).
With two more wins, Aquinas would capture the second state title in coach Adam Schwartz’s tenure. The other was in 2017, when the Lil Irish played to a 2-2 draw with Westhill-III and earned a co-championship.
Class B: Livonia
Of late, Livonia has played like one of New York state’s most dominant teams. The Bulldogs have won 12 consecutive matches, the last eight in shutout fashion, and outscored opposing teams 39-5 during that stretch.
The team’s last match was not so one-sided, as the Bulldogs escaped regional play with a 1-0 overtime win over Falconer-VI on Blair Maxwell’s overtime winner (with an assist from sister Reghan Maxwell).
That goal secured Livonia’s first trip to the state tournament in 20 years, which coincides with the team’s first and only state title in 2006.
Semifinalist opponent Chenango Forks has won two state titles in the last decade (2018, 2016). Should Livonia win that contest, a matchup with defending state champion Marcellus is possible.
Class C: Byron-Bergen
Byron-Bergen is one of three defending champions remaining (Class AA Albertus Magnus-I and Class B Marcellus-III are the others). The Bees won last year’s title in a thriller, defeating Stillwater in overtime on Mia Gray’s goal.
Gray (46 goals) is Section V’s leading scorer by a longshot, but Byron-Bergen’s season isn’t a solo act. Grace DiQuattro (30 goals, 26 assists), Anastasia Kuszlyk (15 goals, seven assists) and Elizabeth Starowitz (14 goals, 21 assists) are also among the section’s top offensive producers this fall.
With two more wins, Byron-Bergen would be the first Section V team to repeat as state champions since 2017, when both Spencerport and Wheatland-Chili went back to back.
Class D: Fillmore
Fillmore’s semifinal matchup is a rematch of the 2023 Class D championship game, which the Eagles lost 2-0 to Cincinnatus.
With 97 goals in 19 games, Fillmore boasts one of Section V’s top attacks. Five players are in double figures for goals scored: Morghyn Ross (19), Tenlee Miller (18), Kallie Pastorius (17), Abby Earley (13) and Mylee Miller (12). The Eagles have scored eight-plus goals four times this fall, including the 10-0 regional win over Franklinville-VI.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Girls soccer reaches final weekend. See which teams are playing for state titles
Reporting by Justin Ritzel, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
