Overall Class B champion Southwestern made the trip to Class C winner Frewsburg on Thursday and both squads made the matchup live up to the hype, but it was the Bears leaving the Robert H. Jackson Elementary field with a 2-1 win.

“I think it’s one of the best games in Section VI to start out,” Frewsburg head coach Scott Stone said. “You’ve got the Class B champs versus the Class C champs and it was exactly what I expected. (Derek) Houser is a great coach, I knew they were going to come in ready to play. That’s a good soccer team and we knew we were going to have to literally play 80 minutes.”

Frewsburg brought it early and often with the offense led by the Jimerson sisters and it didn’t take long for them to break through. In just the seventh minute, Taytum Jimerson connected with freshman Jaden Jimerson, who sent a laser to the top left corner for the 1-0 lead.

Then, just two minutes later, Ava Jimerson sent a ball off the crossbar as she racked up the chances in the early going.

Frewsburg’s Audrey Eckwahl dribbles away from Maddie Troutman during Thursday’s game in Frewsburg. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Southwestern managed to withstand the early pressure from Frewsburg. Keeping the score low early was Braya Beaver, who was called upon for several big saves.

“Both goalies were tested and had to make some big saves,” Southwestern head coach Derek Houser said. “Braya, she’s come on over the course of her three years and she gives us that opportunity. When you’re playing a good team you can take a couple gambles that maybe you can’t take if you don’t have a goalie like that, so it starts with her in the back.”

Both Beaver and Frewsburg freshman keeper Elysse Gruber were going to need a great opportunity or perfectly placed shot for a ball to get past them.

Ava Jimerson was finally rewarded for her hard work when Taytum sprung her into the box all alone and Beaver didn’t stand a chance at stopping the strike as the Bears took a 2-0 lead in the 35th minute.

“Two years ago, Ava had 29 goals and 20 assists before she tore her ACL,” Stone said about Jimerson’s performance. “She played last year, but she wasn’t Ava. Ava’s back and Ava’s hungry. She’s a menace for anybody, she’s going to be putting pressure on people all year long and she wants to win right now to prove that she didn’t lose a step.”

Frewsburg’s Ava Jimerson (21) and Southwestern’s Mallory Atwater battle for possession during Thursday’s game in Frewsburg. P-J photo by Christian Storms

Southwestern needed a boost before the end of the first half and the Trojans got it from Kaylyn Carnes. In the 37th minute, a bounce went Carnes’ way and with a defender on her hip and another just in front of her, she hammered a shot to the top left corner and Gruber’s diving hand could not keep it out of the net.

“Kaylyn is really what runs things for us,” Houser stated. “Her ability to see the field, she can distribute, she can shoot. She really has all those attacking parts to the game and you have to account for her. … Kaylyn frees up some other players and makes other players better because they have space to work.”

Southwestern got the boost of confidence it needed going into the second half and early it looked like the Trojans would tie the game. Carnes again was on the attack, breaking into the box she looked to power another goal home, but this time the diving hand of Gruber stopped the shot just ahead of the bottom right corner.

“Anytime there’s a Beaver in goal back there then we’re a little concerned about it,” Stone said about the goalkeepers. “She’s super athletic, she makes plays, you really got to make a good shot and beat her because she’s not going to give you anything free and that’s the same thing with Elysse. We put Elysse in the shootout last year during the sectional finals as an eighth-grader, she had 22 saves in the regional game and we think she has a chance to be one of the best goalies in Frewsburg history. We’re super confident in her and they both showed you that today, they both made numerous saves that could have been goals.”

In the face of relentless pressure, Frewsburg managed another chance on the counterattack and it was the Jimersons at it again. Ava powered her way down the left wing and cut into the middle before dishing to Taytum who sent a shot just over the crossbar.

Southwestern just survived a huge chance from Frewsburg, but an injury to sophomore defender Kenzi Rogers looked costly. However, after being helped off the field, it was not the last the Trojans would see of Rogers.

In the absence of Rogers, Frewsburg nearly snuck another goal past Beaver, but it was the Bears’ defense stealing the rest of the show.

Desperate for an equalizer, Southwestern brought all it had in the final 20 minutes and that included Rogers coming back into the game after having her ankle tended to.

“I won’t speak for Frewsburg, but she was the best player on our sideline today for sure and maybe the best player on the field,” Houser said of Rogers. “She can really do it all, but she’s just got an intensity. She’s quiet and doesn’t say much, but she is an assassin out on the field, she’s got every part of the game and just doesn’t give up.”

Frewsburg’s defense dug down deep, making sure it wasn’t easy getting a shot or look towards Gruber in goal. Anything that did make it through Gruber was able to handle and the Bears held on for the 2-1 victory.

“We take a lot of pride in our defense,” Stone said. “We work on it, we’re known for it and these girls we’ve got a lot of girls starting on varsity for the first time and they answered the door today. They stepped up, they played hard and they fought and we squeaked one out.”

After an intense opener both squads have readied themselves for the rest of the season.

“You want to play the best on your schedule and Frewsburg has really been that for quite a while around here,” Houser said. “You want to test yourself, you want to get things on film. Everything up until this point is theory, we think we can do this, and now we know what we did well and what we want to work on. It’s a really cool moment because there are eight section champions and for two of them to be playing it doesn’t happen often, so it’s a big deal.”

Frewsburg (1-0) is back in action today against Jamestown, while the Trojans (0-1) travel to Chautauqua Lake on Monday.