Kendall captures state soccer championship

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall players and coaches proudly celebrate with their medals and championship plaque after nipping Fort Ann 1-0 for the state Class D soccer championship this morning at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

One lone goal proved to be just enough to earn Kendall its first state soccer championship as the Lady Eagles downed Fort Ann (Section II) 1-0 for the state Class D title this morning at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

Hailee Mitchell’s milestone 30th goal of the season with 17:59 remaining in the second half provided the margin of victory for Kendall which controlled play throughout the game.

“It’s awesome, just awesome,” exclaimed a jubilant Kendall Coach Pam Barchet. “We really jelled at the right time. These girls all have the same goal and they all work together to achieve it.”

Kendall captains Lizzie Sutphen, Hailee Mitchell and Brianna Wakefield and Coach Pam Barchet hold the state championship plaque high.

Kendall set it’s tone for controlling play from the outset getting 6 shots and 4 corners in the first 20 minutes.

The Lady Eagles in fact did everything but get the ball in the net in the opening half outshooting the Cardinals 12-5.

That trend continued in the second half as Kendall, utilizing a patient passing game, upped its shots advantage to 21-5 in the second half before Mitchell worked her away in front of the Cardinals net in traffic and connected on a shot from some  25 yards out for the only tally the Lady Eagles would need.

Kendall goalie Katherine Pearson and her defensive mates including Lizzie Sutphen, T’Mia Kitchings, Julie Coble and Olivia Reed did the rest in registering the shutout. Pearson’s biggest tests were in making a pair of saves early in the first half.

The shutout was the fifth in seven postseason games for the Lady Eagles defensive unit which allowed a total of only two goals during that pressure stretch.

Kendall, which finishes the season at 18-5, advanced to the title round by defeating Cincinnatus (Section III) 2-0 in the semifinals on Saturday while Fort Ann nipped Parishville-Hopkinton (Section X) 2-1 in overtime in the other semi.

Hailee Mitchell who scored the lone goal for the Lady Eagles, works to get control of the ball here against Fort Ann’s Kayla Bailey.

Kendall’s Grace Robinson tries to get the ball past Fort Ann goalie Faith Lehoisky.

Katherine Pearson goes high to make one of the few stops she had to make in goal for Kendall.