By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — October 3, 2006 — On Friday afternoon, Mary Feusner, veteran coach of Tri-Valley Lady Bears varsity soccer squads since the 1978 season, recorded her 500th career victory when the Lady Bears recorded a 7-2 triumph over the host Roscoe Lady Blue Devils in a non-league match.
Now that’s a lot of soccer.
“I just love working with the kids, I love the soccer game,” she said after posting the milestone victory.
“Every team is different, and I love teaching the skills to the kids, I just love the game,” she added.
Feusner said that after 500 soccer matches, she still remembers a lot of the games from the early 1980s.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s 500 at all,” she commented.
Asked what she considers her most memorable game, Feusner said it was competing at the state tourney in 1992, in which the Lady Bears finished third in New York State after falling to New Lebanon 3-2 in sudden death overtime at Alfred University.
“About a third of the field was covered in ice,” she recalled. “It was brutal soccer, but we played so well that day.”
In Friday’s match, Tri-Valley (8-2 overall) led off with five unanswered goals in the first half: Samantha Adriaans at 31:46, Jakki Pugh on an assist from Miranda Benevides at 22:03, Brittany Poley at 19:33, Casey Offringa at 10:00 and at 1:49 Pugh scored off an assist by Kayla Scannell.
Roscoe (1-6) fought back with a couple of quick goals in a second half: Amanda Huggins at 38:33 to put the Lady Blue Devils on the scoreboard. Just over two minutes later, at 36:02, Higgins scored on an assist from Paige Clancy.
The Lady Bears scored twice in the second half: Karyn Sheeley at 29:31, and at 24:46, Pugh scored on an assist from Benevides.
T-V goalie Kaylie Ackerley had seven saves on the afternoon, while Roscoe goalkeeper Kasse Brock had 18 saves.
The Lady Bears held the advantage in shots on goal (32-11) and in corner kicks (4-2).
The match was the first soccer game of the 2006 season played on the Lady Blue Devils’ home field since it was washed away in the devastating June floods.
“We started off flat, but came back in the second half,” Roscoe Coach Amanda Davis said.
“We tried like heck, but it was hard to come back from those five goals… we played our best soccer in the second half.”
Feusner said the game allowed her the chance to give all of the Lady Bears some playing time, while a few booters stepped up to their secondary positions.
“We did a good job out there today,” she said.