Perfect finish
Randolph goes undefeated in D2 for 2nd straight year
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Elsie Freeman cuts around Cattaraugus-Little Valley defender Laura Tackentien during Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 girls soccer action at Raymond Van Wie Stadium on Wednesday.
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Kyler Patterson takes a shot as Cattaraugus-Little Valley's Emily Schmidt defends during Wednesday's game.
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Serena Smith, left, races toward goal while being pursued by Cattaraugus-Little Valley's Macie Cannon during Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 girls soccer action at Raymond Van Wie Stadium on Wednesday.
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Elsie Freeman cuts around Cattaraugus-Little Valley defender Laura Tackentien during Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 girls soccer action at Raymond Van Wie Stadium on Wednesday.
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Kyler Patterson takes a shot as Cattaraugus-Little Valley's Emily Schmidt defends during Wednesday's game.
P-J Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Serena Smith, left, races toward goal while being pursued by Cattaraugus-Little Valley's Macie Cannon during Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 girls soccer action at Raymond Van Wie Stadium on Wednesday.
Trending
RANDOLPH -- Since Portville left Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2, the Randolph girls soccer team has run the league, and on Wednesday evening the Cardinals had the opportunity to finish a second year in a row with a perfect record.
Outscoring league opponents 49-4 through the first nine games, there was little doubt whether the Cardinals would finish the league schedule 10-0, and in just the third minute Elsie Freeman's goal began a 7-0 barrage against Cattaraugus-Little Valley at Raymond Van Wie Stadium to secure the title.
"I'm really proud of this group," Randolph head coach Alexa Troutman said. "We have a really nice mix of experienced players who bring leadership and some really great young players. They've worked hard for this. They really built in the last couple of seasons for this so I'm really proud of them."
Cattaraugus-Little Valley (4-11-1, 4-6-0) goalkeeper Lucilyn Conklin turned aside several chances in the first 20 minutes, ultimately finishing with 19 saves, but the floodgates officially opened in the 21st minute when Serena Smith scored from Hannah Hill.
Randolph (11-3-0, 10-0-0) added another two goals in the first half and three more in the second to finish with a staggering 56-4 goal differential in Division 2.
"That was a really fun way to see the progression of the entire season for the entire team," Troutman said. "The girls got a lot of minutes today and did some nice things. We possessed the ball well, passed it around and I'm really happy with it."
Freeman led the way for the Cardinals against the Timberwolves with four goals and an assist; Hill added a second assist; both Kyler Patterson and Jade McMaster scored and provided an assist; and Smith scored once.
Smith's tally marked the 17th of her freshman campaign and Freeman's totals pushed her to 13 goals and nine assists for her eighth-grade season. Sophomore Ava Sears, who rounds out the youthful attack for Randolph, has seven goals and two assists with just one regular-season game remaining.
"I would say those three, Serena, Elsie and Ava," Troutman said about her top scorers. "Three young ones and they bring a lot of energy to the team. They do a lot for us in the middle, which helps us function, and they create a lot of chances for us."
While it was an offensive clinic for Randolph, the Cardinals' defense stepped up to show why they have posted seven clean sheets. Backed into its own end for most of the match, Cattaraugus-Little Valley did manage to break out on the counterattack twice for breakaways with Dakota Bramer, but both times Randolph pulled out the stop. Splitting time in goal, senior Stella Smith made one save for Randolph and junior Harper Russell provided two stops.
"We have a lot of confidence in our defense," Troutman said. "We also have our senior goalie back. She was out last year with an ACL injury. We have a lot of confidence in that group. They've played together for a few years now. There is some experienced leadership in the back line, so we're confident in them."
With two of its opponents dropping out of the Section VI playoffs, there were not a lot of true tests for Randolph in the league schedule, so the Cardinals added some tough teams from Class A and B to the nonleague schedule.
Randolph lost three of its first four games this season, dropping contests against Fredonia 2-1, Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove 1-0 and Southwestern 4-1. The Cardinals will also finish the regular season tonight on the road at Southwestern.
"That was really important for us to have those competitive games," Troutman said. "Really to get us into the playoff atmosphere. This last game tomorrow against Southwestern will really set the tone for us going into the playoffs."
Last year the Cardinals reached the Class C semifinals, falling short of the final with a 1-0 loss against Frewsburg. The road back and deeper into the playoffs will begin with Randolph likely the No. 3 seed, and there is a chance the Cardinals avoid both Frewsburg and Wilson until the final.
"We're excited for the postseason," Troutman stated. "We're excited to compete at a high level. We are confident in ourselves when we're playing at our best, so we're excited to see that."