Niagara Falls Eliminates Jamestown

Jamestown’s Ryah Leeper (13) and Niagara Falls’ Carmella Vilardo (22) battle for possession during Wednesday’s Section VI Class AAA girls soccer semifinal at Strider Field in Jamestown. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
With only four teams in Class AAA, the winner of Wednesday’s Section VI girls soccer semifinal between Niagara Falls and Jamestown at Strider Field was heading to the final.
The third-seeded Wolverines became that team.
Eighth-grader Carmella Vilardo netted a hat trick and freshman goalkeeper Colette Printup made several timely saves as Niagara Falls beat the second-seeded Red & Green 4-1.
Vilardo opened the scoring in the fifth minute when she beat her defender to the left side of the field, then scored back across the grain to the far post for a 1-0 lead.
Printup made a key save on Jamestown senior Madison Burgess less than a minute later, while Red & Green senior keeper Myah Crossley stopped Niagara Falls sophomore Da’mya Burch after a nice feed from junior Sophia Contento in the 24th minute of what was a relatively stress-free first half for both teams.
Jamestown’s best opportunity of the opening 40 minutes came in the 36th minute when Burgess shot just high of the Niagara Falls goal on a free kick from outside of 20 yards.
The Red & Green nearly tied the game in the 53rd minute. Burgess saved a ball along the end line and then sent a pass into the 18-yard box that was settled by eighth-grader Payton Briggs before she shot wide of the far post.
Niagara Falls took a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute as Vilardo beat her defender outside the 18-yard box, then dribbled in alone before scoring past Crossley.
Jamestown closed to within a goal in the 68th minute when Printup challenged for a loose ball inside the 6-yard box and banged her attempted clear off the shins of Red & Green junior Anna Engquist into the goal to make it 2-1.
Just over four minutes later, Jamestown nearly tied the game when Burgess got free behind the defense, but Printup — who finished with 14 saves — made a game-saving challenge to keep it 2-1.
Contento fed Vilardo in the 74th minute and her initial shot was stopped, but she was able to put home the rebound to complete the hat trick with her 29th goal of the season to effectively put the game away.
Burch scored her sixth goal of the season off a throw-in from senior Kyasia Hall in the 39th minute to cap the scoring.
Niagara Falls will take on No. 1 Lancaster at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Williamsville North High School. The Wolverines will be seeking their first ever sectional title.