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One is enough

Kress, Baglia send F/CV/MG past Fredonia 1-0

By Christian Storms 5 min read

FREDONIA -- The Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove girls soccer team was five minutes away from a 1-0 shutout against Fredonia. Then, one of the best scorers in Section VI, Fredonia junior Cece Tonelli, found herself on a breakaway.

After stellar work all game long from her back line, Ellyson Baglia laid out for her teammates, getting a diving hand on Tonelli's shot to keep the clean sheet and secure a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 victory at Fredonia State University on Tuesday night.

"That was massive," Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove head coach Brett Johnson said about Baglia's save. "We've been lucky to have Ellyson for the past four years, she has been nothing but amazing for us. She comes up super clutch every time we need her to and just another huge save for her. I mean that literally wins the game, basically seals the game so we couldn't have asked her to do anything more."

It was Baglia's biggest save of her seven on the night, dealing Fredonia its second straight shutout loss after Saturday's 3-0 decision against the other top team of Division 1, Allegany-Limestone.

"Every one of these games is big," Fredonia head coach Kyle Marvin said. "Every one of them is a tough game and it's one we certainly -- having a 1-0 finish -- we were so close. We did a lot of things well, we just couldn't get that goal to equalize. We had some chances, very good possession, good control during parts of the game. It comes down to that we have to get that goal, so it's disappointing, but I'm definitely proud of the way our girls played today."

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove threatened early, even hitting a post in the opening minutes, but Fredonia stood tall and it was a seesaw of chances throughout the first half. The Hillbillies had the next few chances and each of those were turned aside by Baglia or the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove defense, setting the tone for a low-scoring contest.

"I told the girls to come into this game with confidence," Marvin stated. "Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove has some very good players and they're a very good team, but we have to show up and match what they can do. I think we did that very well, it was back and forth, we had periods of the game where we had good possession. Naomi (Muck) did some good work for us in the back there, made some big saves to keep us in the game."

The Golden Cougars did manage to get on the board and it was thanks to their top scorers Julianna Roth and Kylie Kress connecting in the 33rd minute. Roth created some space for herself at midfield after a nice display of dribbling and promptly delivered a perfect ball to Kress in the box who then shimmied the two Fredonia defenders for enough space to fire a perfect shot to the left post and in.

"Kylie made a great back-post shot," Johnson stated. "It's kind of where it has to be to score on her. Just clutch players make clutch plays in big moments."

It took an impressive play and a great shot to get past Fredonia goalkeeper Naomi Muck who made eight saves in the contest.

"We've been working on that the last few weeks," Marvin said about his team's defense. "Not giving up easy chances, making other teams hit shots from farther out that are easier for Naomi to handle. I think we are doing better with not diving in and getting beat, containing players without overcommitting and I think today they all did pretty well with it."

Both sides did a great job of limiting the top offensive threats, not giving much space to either Kress or Tonelli. With the forwards kept at bay, much of the contest was decided in the midfield and with the NCAA Division I Toledo-committed Roth going box to box it was difficult for Fredonia to claw back into the game.

"They have some girls that are very good," Marvin added. "Going Division I players and I think we stepped up and did what we could to contain them. Unfortunately, they still got a goal out of it."

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove's best chances in the second half came through Roth taking the space in front of her and getting out of the defensive end to avoid any threats.

"She's the engine of our team," Johnson said about Roth. "Just a strong player, she controls everything when she's out there. It's just great to have her on our side."

While the premium chances were lower in the second half, Fredonia (4-3, 2-3) did get the best look of the game with Tonelli's breakaway in the 75th minute, but it just was not the night for the Hillbillies as Baglia kept the sheet clean in another one-goal win for Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove (6-1, 4-1).

"Our league is very competitive," Johnson added. "I feel like on any given night anybody can beat anybody and that was the case here. Literally inches away from her putting that ball back post. Tonelli is a threat so you've got to make sure you know where she is at all times."

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