By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR — The host Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats got off to a quick start in Friday afternoon’s non-league soccer game against the Fallsburg Lady Comets.
Manor (10-1) scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the contest. The Lady Wildcats went on to post a 6-0 victory over Fallsburg (1-7-1).
Paige Clancy scored the first goal for Manor with a quick shot to the corner of the net from about 15 yards away with just 1:32 elapsed in the first half. Cassidy Lewis assisted Clancy on the goal.
At 6:09, Maggi Calo gave the Lady Wildcats a 2-0 lead with an unassisted goal. Calo kicked the ball into the center of the goal cage from approximately 10 yards away.
Manor extended its advantage to 3-0 at the 26:28 mark. Angela Zayas kicked the ball high into the air and it floated across the goal box to Calo, who kicked it past Fallsburg goalkeeper Tonye Freeman. Zayas was credited with an assist on the score.
The Lady Wildcats added three goals in the second half, all of which were unassisted.
At 9:38 of the half, Samantha Scott gained control of a loose ball in front of the Lady Comets’ goal cage and fired the ball into the back of the net.
Six minutes later, Marissa Diescher maneuvered past two defenders and scored on a low shot to make it a 5-0 game.
Diescher netted the Lady Wildcats’ final goal of the contest with about seven minutes remaining.
Fallsburg’s best opportunity to get on the scoreboard came with about four minutes to go in the game. Shaina Swerdling had control of the ball near the top of the goal box and kicked a high shot at the goal cage. The ball sailed over Manor goalie Kiera Browne, but unfortunately for Swerdling and her teammates the ball bounced off the crossbar.
Manor outshot Fallsburg by a 25-5 margin. Browne made four saves, while Freeman recorded 22 saves.
“We were up against a tough opponent today,” Fallsburg Coach Michael Geller said. “Manor has a very good team. They have a great chance to win the Section IX Class D title and make a splash in states.”
As for the Lady Comets, Geller noted that they are improving.
“We played better today than in our last two games,” he said. “We were passing the ball better and moving it better. We still have areas of the game in which we can improve, but we are making positive strides.”
Manor Coach Shirlee Davis also praised the Lady Comets.
“Fallsburg played aggressively today and that was good,” she said.
Davis was also happy to see her team, which clinched the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI title with a win over The Family School the previous afternoon, register another victory.
“This is good because we have some tough non-league games coming up,” she said. “We play Port Jervis, Chester, Liberty, Seward and Tri-Valley. Those games should be good preparation for the postseason.”