Photos and stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
CUBA — From within a packed crowd of contests that went past regulation time back on Wednesday, both Wellsville and Cuba-Rushford endured a tremendous amount of fortitude in their respective contests, with the Lady Lions coming off a 2-1 win over Port Allegany and the Lady Rebels battling towards a hard-fought 2-2 tie with Genesee Valley/Belfast.
To help close out the week on Friday, the two foes looked to keep their foot down on the gas pedal when they collided in Cuba for their first battle of the season.
Across the first half of play, the momentum teeter-tottered between both teams, witnessing an overpowering start from one side before a strong finish to the half for the other soon took over. In the second half, it could have gone either way, as both the Lady Lions and Lady Rebels raced back-and-forth all the way down to the wire.
But when the opportunity arose, Jen Tuttle was there to make it happen.
With less than three minutes to go, and the pressure continuing to mount more and more, the Cuba-Rushford junior ate it all up and helped give her team the lead one more time, scoring the most clutch of goals to help finish off a three-goal, second half resurgence for the Lady Rebels to remain undefeated on the young season with a 3-2 edge over Wellsville.
“I’m really proud of how we responded in the second half,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “I know both teams just came off of an overtime game, and this one was another one of those battles. We showed some guts, especially after they tied it late in the second half. Both teams had some spells where they controlled the game. It really was back and forth, through and through. It’s been a battle almost every game we’ve played them the last few years. Tonight’s did not disappoint.”
The Lady Rebels (3-0-1) were the first to seize control of the action on the pitch in the first half, escalating the momentum by activating a great deal of passing, along with a stellar display of defense to keep Wellsville pinned on their side of the field. There were chances that formulated for the offense to take advantage of, but an active Lydia Kaye in between the posts for the Lady Lions, halted the Lady Rebels each time.
Later on, the Lady Lions (3-2) had their moment in the sun to twist the momentum in their favor, especially in the last 10 minutes of the opening half, with the efforts of Talia O’Connor, Jaden Dunbar and Lexi Aftuck all helping lead the charge on the offensive front. The pressure would ultimately break through for the visitors in white and orange with 3:30 left to play, as a collision in front of the Cuba-Rushford net allowed Raegan Vogel to step up and take charge, airlifting a long-range bomb straight into a wide open cage for a 1-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Cuba-Rushford returned to the pitch refreshed and roaring to go, as they immediately assumed control of possession again. This time, striking quickly, as Cloey Larabee went back-to-back for the Lady Rebels to take a 1-0 deficit and turn it into a 2-1 lead in a matter of just two minutes, with her first stemming off a cross provided by Lily Tompkins off to her right before taking matters into her own hands on a rush back up the far sideline to give them the lead.
The advantage would remain frozen in place until the Lady Lions built another abundance of pressure against the Lady Rebels, as Jaden Dunbar found Emily Stuck with a pass on the right side of the net to tie the game at two with 16:04 left to go.
But with 2:15 left to play, the Lady Rebels found their way back to the net one more time against Wellsville, as Tuttle struck gold with the game-winning goal off a pass to the right side by Molly Kunz, one-timing it home to keep a brilliant start to the campaign off and running for the hosts in blue and gray.
Both teams recorded 12 shots on their opposing cages, but the win belonged to Annaleece Melton and undefeated Cuba-Rushford as she was in between the posts and made 10 great stops against the Lady Lions.
Lydia Kaye made nine saves for Wellsville.
Next up on Tuesday, both teams make their return to the field with Cuba-Rushford hitting the road for a 5 p.m. first kick against Friendship/Scio in Friendship, while Wellsville heads back home for a colossal 7 p.m. clash with the defending Class D State Finalist Fillmore Lady Eagles.
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