Well, that was not the case for the Frewsburg and Southwestern girls soccer teams that opened the season with a 1-1 tie in nonleague action that had all the feel of a playoff game at Robert H. Jackson Elementary on Tuesday.

“That’s as back and forth of a game I can remember as a head coach of this team in three or four years,” stated Frewsburg head coach Scott Stone. “That felt like a heavyweight fight. It was just chance after chance, both teams were playing well. It was whoever was going to make a play, and nobody made one, so here we are tied 1-1. … It was a high-level game, that felt like a playoff game and that’s why we play them every year.”

Frewsburg (0-0-1) has had Southwestern’s number the last few times the teams have squared off, and early in the first half it looked like the Bears would keep that going. With the way possession was going, it was as if the field was tilted towards Southwestern’s end, but the Trojans held their line.

“You’ve got Abbey Galati and Mallory Atwater, who last year were so great for us,” Southwestern head coach Derek Houser said about his defense. “We actually kind of had a health emergency and the girl who was supposed to start couldn’t on the outside, so a freshman, Kenzie Rogers, kind of gets thrown in. Actually, I told her on the bus ride over she’s starting and couldn’t have played better. It was a rallying point for the team to see someone come in and step up like that and she was every bit equal to the challenge.”

Frewsburg’s Kealy Caflisch knocks away a pass intended for Southwestern’s Marlana Cresanti as Frewsburg defender Kaylee Cappa holds the goal line during the second half of Tuesday’s game. P-J photo by Christian Storms

With Frewsburg controlling much of the early play, Southwestern (0-0-1) started getting back into the contest with some dangerous chances on the counterattack that were turned aside by senior Braelyn Stelmack in goal. As the half wore on, those counter-attack chances by the Trojans turned into controlled chances with a very even back-and-forth game developing.

By halftime, both teams had yet to find the back of the net, but it did not take long for the stalemate to be broken in the second half. About 10 minutes into the half, Southwestern’s Kaylyn Carnes broke through the Frewsburg defense and found herself alone against Stelmack and she made no mistakes there, slotting a left-foot shot to the bottom right of the net to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.

“Kaylyn’s really the straw that stirs the drink for us,” Houser stated about the offense and counter-attack. “Avery Johnson has got great speed. We’re really working, we’ve got good experience for not being a super-old team. We had a little bit of a sense where we had to try to push the buttons if we were going to be a team to push Frewsburg.”

The goal gave Southwestern a jolt of energy and it continued its offensive onslaught with another dangerous chance coming minutes later. This time Carnes looked for an assist as she sent a ball past the Frewsburg defense for Avery Johnson who sent a shot that rang off the crossbar.

Southwestern had played stellar at all levels of the game, but it was only a matter of time before Ava Jimerson would break through with one of her chances for Frewsburg. Jimerson finally got a bounce to go her way and found herself alone in the box against Braya Beaver and the former would not a mistake that close to even the score at 1-1.

Southwestern defender Mallory Atwater, right, goes to clear the ball as teammate Emma Malmstrom-Jouannet boxes out Frewsburg’s Jadyn Trocki during Tuesday’s nonleague soccer game in Frewsburg. P-J photo by Christian Storms

“Ava played great,” Stone added. “Ava just got cleared a week ago from a torn ACL that she’s been rehabbing for the last eight months. Ava is going to have some time to become who she is, but I thought she looked fantastic today. She scored a goal for us, she had a ton of opportunities and it’s truly a situation where she is going to get better every single day of this season.”

Both teams had great chances as the half wound down, but Jimerson had the best of all in the final seconds. Dashing into the box with Mallory Atwater on her right hip, Jimerson just got past her slide tackle and attempted to get a shot past Beaver, but it went wide of the net, allowing the game to go to overtime.

In both overtime periods each team had strong chances, but it was the goalies who stole the show again as they did all game with big saves. In the first overtime, Beaver made the big saves for Southwestern, while in the second Stelmack stood tall for Frewsburg, including stopping Johnson on another breakaway.

“I thought both goalies played fantastic,” Stone said. “There were plenty of chances that I thought were going to get in. I thought Beaver played great, Braelyn came up and made a couple good saves. Not only were the field players battling out, but I thought both goalies turned in really good performances.”

Southwestern's Kaylyn Carnes fires a shot past Frewsburg goalkeeper Braelyn Stelmack. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Frewsburg's Ava Jimerson is hugged by Taytum Jimerson, left, and Jadyn Trocki, right, as Audrey Eckwahl, far left, joins in after Ava tied the score at 1-1.

Southwestern defender Mallory Atwater knocks the ball away from Frewsburg's Aleah Bjork. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Frewsburg's Ava Jimerson crosses the ball into the box as Southwestern defender Abbey Galati looks on. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Frewsburg's Jadyn Trocki heads a ball away from Southwestern's Avery Johnson. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Frewsburg goalkeeper Braelyn Stelmack collects a ball in the box during the second overtime. P-J photo by Christian Storms