If Thursday night’s game was played on paper it would’ve ended with a far different result.
But the game was played on the field and the Williamsville South Billies girls soccer team showed that they are better than their below .500 record says.
The Billies overpowered the hosting, 11-win North Tonawanda Lumberjacks 6-0 in a Section VI Class A1 quarterfinal matchup.
After the game, Williamsville South head coach Kevin McNamara told his team that he believes they’re the best team in Class A with a losing record.
Will South came into the matchup with only 6 wins on the year. But the Billies have played the best of the best, including several AA schools and Section V tradition power, Aquinas.
According to McNamara, the tough schedule was put together purposely to prepare his team for the post-season.
“We’ve have a stretch-schedule and played some strong schools,” McNamara said. “That prepares us to come into sectionals. There are two seasons. This (the postseason) is season two and everyone is 0-0.”
The Billies started the game strong and never let go.
Will South got on the board as Maggie Weichert knocked it in in the seventh minute.
Weichaert, a senior in her third year on the varsity, had two goals in the game. According to McNamara, after dealing with injuries in the past she’s finally at full strength.
“She was hurt a lot last year and this year is her coming out party,” McNamara said. “She’s really taking over in the midfield.”
Yet, North Tonawanda did not let the early goal get to them and remained very much in the game. Eighth-grade goalkeeper Jordan Hummel made back-to-back stops on Kaitlin Gruber in the 21′ and 23′, including stopping a shot from point-blank range.
Later in the half, Billies’ sophomore Emma Petrie capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to put her team up 2-0.
Jacks’ sophomore Macey Gioeli had a strong chance to put her team on the board before the half as her shot went just above the crossbar in the 33′.
Williamsville South got right back to work in the second half.
Senior captain Ivy Carey fired a shot to the bottom left corner in the 42′ to put the Billies on top, 3-0.
Will South took a four-goal lead when Petrie picked up her second goal of the game in the 50′.
Hummel remained strong in net stopping a good breakaway chance for South.
Ashley Kryzyznowski later draped a shot over Hummel for the Billies fifth goal.
Weichert finished the scoring in the 78′.
The Lumberjacks are a young team and their youth showed Thursday night but North Tonawanda head coach Hannah Crouch was pleased with how her team did and sees a bright future for her team. She was especially proud of the way Hummel fared on against the high-powered South attack.
“We’re a very young team and for many of them it was the first time playing in a game where everything is on the line like this,” Crouch said. “I think they held their own. To have Hummel make double-digit and breakaway saves is great. It gives us a lot to build off of moving forward.”
Weichert added that the Billies came into the matchup wanting to play with a sense of urgency throughout the game.
“Going into it, even if we were up a goal we wanted to play like we were one or two goals down,” Weichert said. “I think we did that.”
Williamsville South moves on to the Class A1 semifinals on Wednesday at Williamsville North HS. They will take on top seeded Grand Island at 8 p.m.