Class D Champions
Class D Champions
Ellicottville Eagles boys and girls soccer teams advance to Far West Regionals
Senior co-captain Audrey Hurlburt #4 celebrates teammate Layla Kerns’ championship-clinching goal, which came with just 41 seconds left in regulation. Teammates Alysa Williams #17 and Brooke Butler #23 join in the happiness. The Lady Eagles advance to the Far-West Regionals Friday evening at Niagara Wheatfield High School and will take on the champion of Section V.
After a pair of stunning Class D Championship game victories in the past few days, the Ellicottville Eagles and Lady Eagles high school soccer programs reign supreme in all of Western New York - and both teams have punched their tickets to the Far West Regional Championships this coming weekend.
Coach Tammy Eddy’s Lady Eagles brought home their second Class D Championship in as many seasons, when Layla Kerns broke a 0-0 tie with North Collins to give Ellicottville a 1-0 lead with only 41 seconds remaining in regulation time last Saturday, Oct. 29 at Dunkirk High School. By the time the North Collins squad realized they’d need to mount a comeback, the final horn had sounded and Ellicottville was on its way back to the regional championships for the second year in a row.
The girls will travel to Niagara Wheatfield High School Friday, Nov. 4 for a 5:00pm matchup against the Section V champion.
Not to be outdone by their female counterparts on the “Sports Drama Meter,” Coach Matt Finn’s squad trailed the No. 1 seed Maple Grove Red Dragons, 3-2, with less than five minutes remaining in regulation time, but Eagles leading-scorer Sam Edwards beat the Red Dragons goalie to a loose ball and tied the game - forcing overtime to determine the champion.
In the first 15-minute overtime period, the three-time defending Section VI Class C champion, Red Dragons attacked the Eagles end relentlessly, however, senior goalie Evan Bauer threw up an impenetrable wall between the goalposts and the game went into a second overtime stanza before Ellicottville’s sophomore forward Maddox Johnson shocked the assembled crowd at West Seneca East High School with the game-winner after a scramble directly in front of the Maple Grove goal.
With the victory, the boys also become back-to-back Class D champions of Section VI and will head to Rochester-area Spencerport High School Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1:30pm to take on the Section V champion.
To attend either game in person, purchase tickets ahead of time at gofan.co. Both games will also be live streamed; find the link on Ellicottville Sports Boosters’ Facebook page.