Arlington ends Elmira's season in Class AAA girls soccer subregional

Elmira's girls soccer team knew its hands would be full Wednesday night against Section 1 champion Arlington at Johnson City High School.

The Express stayed within striking distance, but Kaitlyn Dwyer's second goal of the game with three seconds to go in the first half gave the Admirals a three-goal advantage that ended up a 6-0 triumph in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AAA subregional.

"There’s a reason why you’re 16-1-2 and I think you have 12 shutouts or something like that on the season," Elmira coach Zach Sarno said of Arlington. "We knew it was going to be a really hard match. We faced them before in 2016 and to be honest that year we almost got the job done. It was 2-1 and it was real close. We played hard."

Madelyn Dwyer scored all three second-half goals for Arlington and Giavanna Ramputi notched the opening goal just over six minutes into the contest.

Caitlyn McLoughlin added two assists, while Adelaide Noyes and Quinn Kapfhammer had one each. Kapfhammer's cross to Kaitlyn Dwyer set up the goal just before halftime.

"Our defense has been our strong point all season," Arlington coach Kelley Hand Hunt said. "We’ve actually had a really hard time scoring. We’ve been winning games 1-0. To be able to find the back of the net tonight, I’m really proud of these girls because that’s what we’ve been working on."

More: Somers slips past Vestal with late goal in Class AA girls soccer subregional

Key to Arlington's dominance

After Ramputi scored off a rebound and Kaitlyn Dwyer outmaneuvered two Express defenders for a one-on-one opportunity against goalie Caitlyn Wagner, the final four Admirals goals came off assists and precise play.

Madelyn Dwyer made it 4-0 with 23:04 remaining and scored again less than six minutes later.

"We looked to play feet," Hunt said. "We've been really working on switching the ball, playing out of the back, using our outside mids to build up and get the cross in. We were able to do that a few times."

Snowy soccer

A steady snow shower began falling at halftime and continued throughout much of the second half, with cold air to match. The turf field was largely covered in snow by time the game ended.

"These girls acted like it was Christmas morning," Hunt said. "They were so excited to see the snow."

Said Sarno: "It’s kind of crazy the conditions out here. But you know what, you play to get to November when it gets cold and the snow’s going. You started the season Aug. 21 and it was 85 to 90 degrees out and here we are, we’re maybe under the 30 mark with the snow."

Wrapping up Express' season

Elmira finished with a 5-9-2 record, an uncharacteristic record for a program that has been among Section 4's best for the last decade or so. There was much to like about how Elmira closed its season, including advancing to states on penalty kicks after playing Corning to a 2-2 tie in the sectional final.

"I couldn’t be more proud of our group just for the fact of how hard we played until the very end," Sarno said. "We continued to play, we continued to play even when the score wasn’t in our favor. That’s all I can ever ask. I asked the girls to come out here and compete as hard as they could and they did exactly that."

Up Next

Arlington (17-1-2) meets Section 9 champion Monroe-Woodbury (12-2-2) in the regional final/state quarterfinal at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at Wallkill High School.

A preseason scrimmage between the programs produced a 1-1 tie. Monroe-Woodbury beat Arlington, 4-1, in last year's Class AA subregional.

"Coming out and playing our game," Hunt said of the key Saturday. "Make sure we play our high press defense, play feet and find the back of the net."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Arlington rolled past Elmira in NYSPHSAA AAA girls soccer subregional