Panthers crack down on 'Cats in girls final

ONEONTA _ A Section Four Class D championship was just a matter of time for the Edmeston girls soccer team.

Second-half goals by Amanda Dockstader and Kori Hamm led the Panthers to a 2-0 victory over Davenport at the National Soccer Hall of Fame on a cool, overcast Saturday morning that marked Edmeston's first girls soccer sectional title.

The Panthers, who have a 16-game unbeaten streak, advanced to a state quarterfinal against Section Three winner Lyme, which topped McGraw, 1-0 on Saturday at Cortland State. Edmeston coach Melanie Mumbulo, whose team fell, 1-0, to McGraw during The Daily Star Hall of Fame Cup in September, said the quarterfinal is set for Saturday and likely will be played at Union-Endicott.

"We made history for our school," said senior forward Amanda Dockstader, who cleaned up a misplay by Davenport goalie Katie Goss for a 1-0 lead 2 minutes, 49 seconds after halftime. "We're the first ones."

Goss, an eighth-grader in her first varsity season, reached over her head to stop Brittanie Becraft's rising cross from the right-middle of the 18-yard box. Although Goss got both hands on the ball, it spun out of her grasp and fell behind her. An unmarked Dockstader raced in from the left side and pounced on the high bouncer, popping in a shot just under the crossbar for the lead.

"It always helps to score early _ at least first," said Mumbulo, whose team won the Tri-Valley League and Section Four Class D crowns in her ninth season. "That gave us a chance to settle down a little bit."

Coming off a 5-1 semifinal thumping of Tri-Valley rival Milford, the third-seeded Panthers (19-2-1) engaged in a back-and-forth first half against No. 4 Davenport (16-5-1). Wildcats sophomore Holly Waid shadowed standout forward Kori Hamm throughout the first 40 minutes, often getting help from other Davenport defenders to keep the ball away from Edmeston's top scorer.

Still, Hamm managed to find enough space along the 18-yard line for an insurance goal with 6:56 remaining.

Edmeston again penetrated the right side of the field before Samantha Martin executed a short, backwards pass to Hamm at the right corner of the box. Hamm then glided to the middle and cranked a left-footer into the top-left corner of the goal just before a handful of Davenport defenders arrived.

"The problem is (Hamm) got the break from the middle on the run," said Davenport coach Ray Preston, whose girls took a three-game winning streak into the championship game. "You can't stick her. You've got to run with her and try to poke it. But the minute you stick, you're in trouble."

Davenport, which avenged two losses to Downsville with a 4-1 semifinal upset of the top-seeded Eagles, failed to finish several opportunities against winning goalie Susanna Johnson. Credit the Panthers' defense, which outlined its 18-yard box like yellow crime-scene tape.

"It was hard for me to work through the double-team," said Davenport scoring machine Chelsea Haight, who took the bulk of her shots from 20 or more yards out. "They shut me down pretty well. I had shots, but I ultimately didn't capitalize on them. If they're taking away some part of our offense, another part has to step up, and we had a hard time doing that today."

"We played really great, but Edmeston is just a great team," said Haight, who finished with a team-high 39 goals. "They definitely deserved to win the section."

Said Preston: "I wish them very well. I hope that they'll do well against whoever they play."

"Whoever we play, we'll step it up and do what we have to do and finish," Hamm said. "Normally, we make plans for what we want to do, but the main goal always turns out to be win."

3-Edmeston (19-2-1): Amanda Dockstader 1-0, Kori Hamm 1-0, Brittanie Becraft 0-1, Samantha Martin 0-1.

Dean Russin can be reached at drussin@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 215.

Photos

Photo by Cheryl CloughEdmeston-s Juli Vibbard slides to take the ball away from Davenport-s Amanda Toombs during Saturday-s Section Four Class D championship at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The third-seeded Panthers won their first sectional title with a 2-0 victory and will play Section Three champion Lyme in a state quarterfinal this Saturday.