OBSERVER Staff Report

BUFFALO — After dropping their first game last Friday night in Frewsburg, the Fredonia Lady ‘Billies put up their first win of the season, topping Mt. Mercy 4-0, in a non-league girls soccer game on Wednesday, in Buffalo.

Fredonia (1-1) held a 1-0 lead early in the first half, after Emily Timmerman scored in just the sixth minute on an assist from Rylee Beers.

It was in the second half where Fredonia exploded, adding three tallies spread throughout the frame. Isabella Manning got the scoring started in the second half in the game’s 49th minute, on an assist from Lauren Marshall. Ella Koopman scored in the 67th minute on an unassisted mark, while Rylee Beers capped off the scoring in the 71st minute, with a helper from Paige Supkoski.

Fredonia coach Brett Gould was happy about the result, but it wasn’t so much about the quantity of goals as it was who the goals came from.

“When I look at the stat sheet, I see that an eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th grader all scored. That’s impressive. It was the first varsity goal for Manning, Koopman and Beers, as well as Beers first assist,” Gould said.

Gould expected this heading into the season, but the speed at which it came together was surprising even to him.

“We knew we were going to be all over the score sheet, this year. It’s only our second game, and the growth is really impressive. We’ve been working really hard,” Gould said.

In net for Fredonia, Kelly Gullo stopped the only two shots she was faced with, providing a bit of stability in net for the Lady ‘Billies.

The first two games for Fredonia have featured some impressive play, but Gould knows those moments are just building blocks.

“The first few games are non-league, all of these leagues in Southern Tier are so tough to play in. We just go through these first few and look at different systems and different combinations of players to see what we can learn. We’ve had some great moments so far but we want to focus on turning those moments into momentum,” Gould said.

Fredonia is next in action next Thursday, Sept. 12, at All High Stadium to take on City Honors at 7 p.m.