The Thunderbirds never panicked.

And with less than a minute remaining in the game, they were rewarded.

Paige Zarpentine scored from the top of the 18-yard box with 59.5 seconds remaining as Chautauqua Lake pulled even with Frewsburg at the top of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West girls soccer standings with a 3-2 victory to spoil Senior Night at Frewsburg Middle-High School.

“It is great for our program. Cole Gleason has put in many years of hard work. He was unable to do it this year. Coach (Olivia) Barnes and myself decided to tag team this,” Chautauqua Lake co-coach Mike Putney said postgame. ” … We knew what a great group of girls it was. You just see how special they are.”

Chautauqua Lake’s Taylor Donato (5) protects the ball from Frewsburg’s Kaylee Cappa, while the Bears’ Jadyn Trocki (3) and Addison Hultberg (4) as well as the Thunderbirds’ Paige Zarpentine (17) and Jada Cole (14) look on during Monday’s CCAA Division 2 West girls soccer game in Frewsburg. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

For the Thunderbirds, it was their first victory over the Bears in more than a decade.

“Frewsburg is a program with a rich history of soccer,” Putney added. “We knew that, but we came with a mission.”

For the Bears, it broke an unprecedented streak of 39 straight league victories since a 1-0 loss at Westfield/Brocton on Oct. 15, 2019.

“Our goal is to win a sectional title,” said Frewsburg head coach Scott Stone, whose team has won the last four Section VI Class C crowns. “That’s exactly what we’re still going to do.”

The score remained tied 2-2 throughout the second half, even though Frewsburg (9-2-1, 7-1-0) controlled possession and came close to scoring multiple times, only to be turned away by Gates.

Frewsburg’s Aleah Bjork, left, is challenged for possession by Chautauqua Lake’s Savannah Horvath. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“We’ve got Lucy Gates. … Her presence on the field is amazing,” Putney said. “We have a line of defenders that I wouldn’t change for the world. We just plug them in.”

In the final 10 minutes, Chautauqua Lake (8-4-0, 7-1-0) turned the tables.

Junior Jada Cole, the Thunderbirds’ leading scorer, nearly got free on a breakaway with just over eight minutes remaining, but she was denied an open run to Frewsburg senior goalkeeper Braelyn Stelmack by senior defender Gracie Conlan.

With two minutes remaining, Chautauqua Lake senior Taylor Donato took a long shot from the left wing that cleared Stelmack, but glanced off the crossbar and away from danger.

Just over a minute later, the Bears weren’t as lucky. A loose ball eventually found its way to Zarpentine just outside the top of the 18-yard box and the junior captain took a right-footed shot that glanced off Stelmack’s right hand and into the goal just inside the far post to make it 3-2.

“Paige puts in a lot of time for soccer. She is a tremendous athlete who is a great field general. I cannot say enough about her as a captain. For Paige in that instance, we have all the confidence in the world in her,” Putney said. ” … We talk about the best opportunity. She took the best opportunity and buried it.”

Frewsburg tried to push in the final minute, but a last-ditch effort inside the final 20 seconds went out along the end line and Gates was able to run out the clock before taking a goal kick, setting off a wild celebration at the Thunderbirds’ bench.

“Even though they had so many breakaways and so many chances, our defense has speed when they need it,” Barnes said. “We’ve been coaching them all year long that they don’t always need to get the ball, you just need to cut down that angle so the shots aren’t great.”

The Bears led 1-0 early when junior Taytum Jimerson sent a free kick into the 6-yard box that was headed home by freshman Audrey Eckwahl in the 14th minute.

That lead didn’t last long because less than a minute later, Cole crossed a ball in front of the Frewsburg goal that was poked home by senior Quinn Putney.

“Our team all year has impressed me with how they are able to bounce back when the other team scores. That’s my favorite thing ever to watch. Countless times it’s been the other team scoring and 60 seconds later we put one in,” Barnes said. “They get a fire lit in them when we get scored on and then they get a fire lit in them when we score. … It’s incredible to watch.”

Just over three minutes later, Cole sent a long shot on goal that got under the crossbar just above Stelmack to give Chautauqua Lake a 2-1 lead.

“Jada is one of the best players in this league. She’s a really good player and you can’t let her get free,” Stone said. “When she gets free, she makes plays.”

In the 26th minute, Jimerson took a pass from junior Kealy Caflisch outside the top of the 18-yard box, spun to her left foot with her back to the goal and then back to her right foot before striking a ball that found the net just inside the far post to tie the game.

That’s how it remained for 53 minutes until Zarpentine’s winner.

“I felt like we dominated possession. We had way more chances in the second half and we just couldn’t finish,” Stone said. “When you get into big games like this against a good team like that, you have to put away your chances. We just weren’t able to do that tonight.”

NOTES: Frewsburg beat Chautauqua Lake 4-1 in their first meeting Sept. 13 in Mayville. … The Thunderbirds’ final two league games are this Wednesday at home against North Collins and next Wednesday at Maple Grove. … The Bears host Maple Grove this Wednesday and visit Westfield/Brocton next Wednesday.