Southern Tier Sports ReportCHENANGO VALLEY — A second-half goal was the difference as the Elmira girls’ soccer team was edged by Arlington 1-0 in the regional final.
“It’s always going to be a battle when you get to this level, especially when you are playing teams you aren’t familiar with,” Sarno said. “We played extremely hard. We left it all out here, that’s all you can ask for.
“If you have nothing more than no regrets, that’s what you came out here for. If you get to this level it’s going to be a tough battle and I’m proud of the girls.”
Facing the top-ranked team in the state the Elmira Express kept the game scoreless through the first half before Chase Harris scored with 29:58 left in the game to help Arlington win.
Goalie Delaney Billbe had a big game in net to keep the Express in the game all night.
“Great to have her back there,” Sarno said. “We missed her at points this year, so it’s good to have her back there. She’s a really, really good goalkeeper. At the beginning of the year it was tough not having her, but once we got her back, there were a lot of games this year she wasn’t tested because our defense was really stellar. We kneww in this game she would be and our defense would be tested. They played a heck of a game, to sit there and lose 1-0 is not what we wanted, but it’s a heck of a go for us.”
The Express started one senior, eight sophomores and two freshmen in the game.
“We work hard, but we are still a growing team,” Sarno said. “We are very, very young. We did everything we could this year and we are going to continue to get better. I said to the girls at the end, think about how young and how many are coming back next year. If anything let that drive you for the next year. Know you are young and a goal away from tying the game and let that drive you for next year.
“It’s kind of hard tonight, Hailey Hamilton was out because she had a concussion, so we just had the next player step up and the next wound up being a freshman. So, essentially today we started one senior and 10 underclassmen. To play in a state playoff game and lose 1-0 that says a lot about the future of the program.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES
PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:
