By HUNTER O. LYLE
ALLEGANY, NY – Stepping onto her home turf for the first time of her junior year, Kennedy Honeck had already proven herself as a stat sheet stuffer.
Taking a leap from her freshman season, Honeck became Allegany-Limestone’s second-leading scorer and leading facilitator during the 2025 campaign, and by the time the Gators welcomed in Jamestown for game three of the newly christened season, she had already added a few more tallies to her resume.
“She’s our quarterback and it’s as simple as that. The team looks to her, we (coaches) look to her. As she goes, we go. It’s a lot of pressure but that’s realistic,” said Allegany-Limestone head coach Dale MacArthur of Honeck, who scored two goals and one assist in the first two games of the season. “We look to her to lead us, and there’s a lot of good seniors that share that, but (Honeck) is in the center of the field for a reason and it’s to get the ball, it’s to score, it’s to distribute and she does a good job of that and she’s only getting better.”
Not to lift her foot from the gas, Honeck once again showed out, notching her first hat trick of the season as she led the Gators to a 4-0 win over the Red & Green.
Honeck, however, is not A-L’s only weapon in the arsenal. In the two games leading up to Tuesday, the Gators had seen seven goals find the back of the net from five different scorers, albeit, resulting in a 1-1 split record-wise. Facing Jamestown, A-L wouldn’t hesitate to put another name in the scorebooks.
Right from the initial touch of the day, the Gators quickly took control. Containing the Red & Green inside their own box, A-L consistently probed inside, cutting deep drives with perfectly-placed through balls and outlets that were forced off course just before the goal. While Jamestown struggled to clear, rarely making their way past midfield, the Gators were slowly wearing down the interior, looking for a window of opportunity. And midway through the period they found it.
Just before the 20-minute mark, Molly John collected a cross at the top right of the box, settled it and booted in the first goal of the afternoon, becoming A-L’s sixth scorer of the season as they perched themselves atop a 1-0 lead.
“We have several players that can score, it’s just a matter of getting to do it and knowing what touch to put on the ball and when to do it,” said MacArthur.
Despite their new-found cushion, the Gators continued to hound Jamestown’s defense, smothering them with relentless drives inside and stripping passes and clears that would alleviate any tension. Unable to repeat the feat in the remaining minutes of the first half, A-L was quick to retake control after the intermission.
Taking away Jamestown’s first touch of the second period, a shot and subsequent corner kick came in the first two minutes. Retaining their assault, the second goal of the afternoon followed immediately after. With just over four minutes removed from the clock, Honeck fielded a pass and rocketed one front-and-center down the pipe, the shot passing Jamestown’s goaltender for her first score of the night.
Facing a wavering opponent, A-L continued to pepper the net, sending a barrage downrange and fending off any attempted retaliation. Jamestown’s lone significant drive of the half was ultimately stopped at the backline, with the Gators’ goalkeeper, Meagan Morgan, coming away with back-to-back saves.
“The girls play together a lot. Many of them are on the Twin Tiers travel team so they get a lot of chemistry there and little bit here,” said MacArthur on the team’s cohesion and defensive ability. “Right now we’re trying to get them to think more tactically. We have many times where we have six girls charging the goal and then we have a huge hole. We’re trying to eliminate that a little bit this year. We’re going to get there, it’s just a matter of understanding who goes where. It’s a learning process.”
Coming away with continued looks at the net, corner kicks as well as a few direct kicks along the way, A-L once again broke through. In the 62nd minute, Honeck took the ball herself, weaving past a defender before sending a high-arching shot over the opposing goaltenders head, putting the Gators’ up 3-0 and all but securing the lead.
As the game wore on in a fit of inevitability, with A-L refusing to release their grip, Honeck tallied one final score, completing the hat trick with a rifling shot in the 77th minute. A few moments later, the final horn sounded and the Gators celebrated their second win of the season.
Looking ahead, the Gators will play two more non-conference games before the work really begins. Following their matches against Pioneer and Frewsburg, A-L will then start a four-game stretch in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division I play, a stint that includes Portville and Southwestern, the two best teams in last year’s standings.
Although they have confidence now, MacArthur and Co. know there are still improvements to be made if they’re truly looking to compete.
“I have a vision of what we want to form into, but will we get there? I think so. Just by virtue of the fact that they’re playing pretty well together right now, and passing the ball around, I think it’s shown that potentially we can be pretty good,” said MacArthur. “The vision is to get really good.”
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