By HUNTER O. LYLE
OLEAN, NY – After back-to-back games of being on their heels and fending off their opponents, the Olean girl’s soccer team finally saw the other side of the coin. Using a persistent aggression for all 80 minutes, the Huskies chalked out their second win of the season, beating Catt-Little Valley 2-1.
“I don’t think we’re used to being on attack so much,” said Olean head coach Dan Freeman, whose team entered Monday at 1-1. “We’ve been just focusing on defense, defense, defense, but now we have to start thinking about offense more and how we can capitalize, because we had so many opportunities. We should have had more goals.”
The feeling-out process didn’t last very long, just a few minutes, a handful of trips back and forth across midfield, and then the Huskies surged. Led by their returning leading goal scorer from last season, Addison Crosson, Olean quickly gained control of possession and kept it.
Using finesse and footwork, Crosson weaved through defenders on her way towards the net, ultimately launching the first shot of the afternoon in just the third minute. Although it went wide, the Huskies continued to swarm CLV’s backline, forcing errant clears back towards the net. Regrouping at midfield, Crosson swiftly began working in tandem with Courtney Obergfell, the Huskies quick-footed forward who constantly created open lanes for through balls and shots at the goal.
“(Crosson and Obergfell) are my two top players right now. I expect a lot from them,” said Freeman. “(Crosson) is the one who’s got the moves to get by and (Obergfell) is the one who’s got the speed that we can use to get it to her. We’re really trying to play those two off of each other.”
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves struggled to find a footing. Caged into their own side of the pitch, the pressure began mounting and trips down the field, let alone shots towards the net, were few and far between. CLV’s first shot of the net came in the 19th minute, their offense far from warmed and ready.
As the Huskies continued to probe inside and pepper the net, and as the clock began to drain, Olean finally found a way to capitalize on their momentum. Following a three-shot barrage in under a minute, their fourth of the succession landed in the back of the net. With just under three minutes remaining, the Huskies settled a clear, forwarded it to Vena DeCerbo and saw the junior punch in her first goal of the season.
Seeing the stalemate broken, all the Huskies had to do was maintain their iron clad defense for another few moments. Relief was on the other side of a mere three minutes. However, finding one of their rare breakthroughs, the Timberwolves rose to the occasion. Having an advantage on the back-peddling Huskies, a cross to the middle saw CLV knot the game, punching in a shot with just three seconds left hanging on the scoreboard.
“One of our defenders wasn’t marking someone in the middle,” said Freeman. “I think we marked (CLV) pretty well, but when you’re pushing up, it’s hard to get back.”
Shaking off the heartbreaker during halftime, the Huskies responded with a doubled-down assault on offense, and it proved fruitful immediately.
After stripping the Timberwolves’ first pass of the half, Olean got a shot off in just 30 seconds. While they missed the initial, they wouldn’t have to wait long for an encore. In the 42nd minute, Obergfell rifled off another towards the net, gathered the rebound off the goalkeeper’s gloves and sent a high-arching shot up above the remaining defenders, putting the Huskies ahead once again.
With a lot of game in between them and the finish line, Olean didn’t let off the gas. Rather, they continued to send a volley of shots at the net, stress testing the Timberwolves’ net tender with six in the opening 15 minutes of the second period. Although CLV managed to find trips down the pitch more often, they were continuously swarmed by defenders and rerouted back the other way.
Ultimately, the Timberwolves efforts fell short of another significant look at the goal. Finishing with just two shots in the final 40 minutes, neither of which came close, they were unable to find the equalizer, instead suffering their third loss of the year while Olean celebrated their second win.
Unlike their previous win over B-R, where they had six days in between games, Olean has no time to rest on their laurels. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, they will be back on their home pitch with a league opponent in front of them. Playing back under the lights, they will take on Falconer/CV/MG (3-0) at 6 p.m.
“We just have to rest and then come out tomorrow and think about what we did today, think about what we did in that overtime. Falconer is going to be tough. They’re going to be physical and talented,” said Freeman. “(CLV) outworked us and almost beat us today, so that’s what we’re going to have to do tomorrow. I do believe Falconer is going to be the more technical team and we’re just going to have to outwork them.”
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