Chazy freshman Ava McAuliffe races past the Willsboro defense early in the first half Saturday at George Brendler Field. McAuliffe scored twice as the Eagles won 4-0. The Chazy girls’ soccer team earned a dominant 4-0 victory Saturday at George Brendler Field against the visiting Warriors of Willsboro Central School. Coming off a shutout loss at Saranac, the Eagles wasted no time in ensuring they would not suffer the same fate, as senior Celine Juneau scored unassisted in only the second minute of the game. Freshman Ava McAuliffe nearly doubled the tally two minutes later as her shot rang off the far post. McAuliffe earned her way onto the scoreboard in the 20th minute, though. Juneau raced up the right-wing with the ball and got behind the Willsboro defense for a simple pass to McAuliffe, who was all alone near the penalty spot for the goal. Eight minutes later, Willsboro goalkeeper Abby Bruno made a save on Juneau’s elevated shot from inside the box to keep the deficit at 2. There was little Willsboro could do in the 34th minute when Catherine Langlois slotted home the rebound after Bruno’s diving save on a hard shot from the top of the box by Willow Herz, and the teams entered halftime with a 3-0 score. Chazy’s dominance in the first half was exemplified by their 15-0 advantage in shots on net. Only 43 seconds into the second half, McAuliffe added her second goal off an assist from Olivia McLennan, scoring what proved to be the final goal of the game. Willsboro looked to push up the field quickly every time they gained possession in the second half but rarely found their way into the attacking third. Their most dangerous scoring opportunity of the game came in the final minute, as they chipped the ball into the Chazy box, only for goalkeeper Annika Lizardi to boot the ball away in the dying seconds. Lizardi recorded only two saves in the clean-sheet victory, while Bruno saved 17 in the Warriors’ loss. Gallery

Willsboro’s Tekla Fine-Lease and Chazy’s Emma Smith battle for the ball in the first half of Chazy’s 4-0 home victory Saturday. Gallery

Saranac senior Lily Gadway steps up to pressure Chazy’s Katie Demers near mid-field Saturday at Saranac Central School. In a game honoring the home team’s seniors and veteran coach, it was one of the youngest players on the field who scored the only goal of the contest as the Saranac girls’ soccer team earned a 1-0 victory at home against Chazy. The Chiefs sought to control the game from the opening whistle, with a strong midfield performance keeping the Eagles at bay. More than 10 minutes had ticked off the clock before Chazy got their first, short-lived, possession in the offensive half. A 23rd-minute corner kick proved to be Chazy’s best offensive effort of the first half. Saranac, on the other hand, was continually challenging the Eagles’ defense. In the 12th minute, Sydney Myers drove to the goal line on the right-hand side of the box and flashed the ball across the face of the goal, but nobody was there to connect. Late in the first half, another fast-developing attack by the Chiefs saw Christon Eden chip a shot toward goal, but goalkeeper Samantha Gonyo was there for the save. The teams entered halftime scoreless despite Saranac’s plethora of opportunities. At halftime, the hosts honored long-time coach mary LoTemplio at the start of what will likely be her final season on the Saranac sideline. After both teams exchanged offensive pressure in the early minutes of the second half, and with the game approaching its second mid-half “mask break,” Saranac finally broke the deadlock in an unusual fashion. Eighth-grader Maddy Wynnik received the ball on the right-wing, just outside of the box, and stepped up just above the goal line. Wynnik sent in what she later admitted was an attempted cross, but the ball found its way on the net. Gonyo got her gloves on it but was unable to cleanly handle it, allowing the ball to slowly roll across the line. Saranac nearly doubled the advantage in the 72nd minute, as Gonyo mishandled a shot from distance and let the ball behind her. Gonyo was able to recover and pounced on the ball to prevent the goal. Down only 1, Chazy continued to push until the very end. The Eagles pushed up in the dying seconds of the game and saw the ball go out for a throw-in just above the corner flag, but the ball had gone too far away from the field. The extra seconds spent chasing down the ball out of play meant the throw came in with only a second left on the clock, which was not enough time to generate any scoring opportunity, sealing the victory for the Chiefs. Gallery

Saranac’s Maddy Wynnik prepares to cross the ball in from the left-wing, ultimately scoring the only goal of the Chiefs’ victory over Chazy Saturday at Saranac Central School. Gallery