OBSERVER Photo by Tim Frank Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove’s Bailey Olson, left, and Southwestern’s Kenzie Rogers battle for possession during CCAA Division 1 action at Bill Race Field in Falconer on Wednesday.

FALCONER — A pair of teams trying to navigate the end of the regular season without two of their best goal scorers met Wednesday night.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove, without five-goal scorer Kylie Kress, and Southwestern, without nine-goal scorer Marlana Cresanti, battled to a 0-0 deadlock in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 play at Bill Race Field.

The tie was a better result for the Golden Cougars than it was for the Trojans.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove is now 8-4-1 overall and more importantly 8-2-1 in the league, and controls its own destiny with its final game at Portville (9-2-1, 7-2-1) next Wednesday. Assuming the Panthers take care of business Monday at Olean, the final game of the regular season would decide the league title.

“It’s nice to have our destiny in our own hands. We talked about that tonight, going out and taking care of business,” Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove head coach Brett Johnson said. “It’ll be nice to go out and potentially win the league on our terms and not have to worry about other teams.”

Southwestern’s only hope for a shared league title involves Portville losing to the Huskies on Monday. The Trojans are now 8-5-2 overall and 7-3-1 in the league.

“League title-wise, I don’t think there’s a formula that works for us at this point,” Southwestern head coach Derek Houser said. “We’re looking at that sectional tournament and hoping to get one, two … three home games if it’s possible. We had a little bit of a rough patch that hurt us.”

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove controlled much of the possession during the first half Wednesday, working its offense through junior midfielder Julianna Roth.

The Golden Cougars’ best look came in the 12th minute when Mary Lundmark made a nearly 50-yard run toward the Southwestern goal, but fired high off the football crossbar behind Trojans senior goalkeeper Braya Beaver, who finished the night with seven saves.

Seniors Madilyn Seastrum, Brynn Helms and Lundmark nearly connected on a passing play in the 30th minute, but Lundmark’s in-close stab at the ball rolled just wide of the goalpost and the teams eventually went into halftime tied 0-0.

“We’ve got some people playing in some different spots and trying to get that groove. They are really good at being well-positioned defensively,” Houser said of the Trojans’ lack of possession in the first half. “You really have to pick your spots. That makes it difficult.”

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove sent three 30-plus-yard free kicks wide of the Southwestern goal early in the second half before the Trojans began to take the play to the Golden Cougars.

In the 63rd and 64th minutes, Southwestern was awarded three consecutive corner kicks, which were taken by sophomore Kait Rogers, and twice Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove junior keeper Ellyson Baglia was called upon to punch the ball to safety.

“According to legend from the players, one of those balls was going in that Ellyson had to knock up and over. She’s had to step up with no Marlana,” Houser said of Rogers. “She’s been doing that for a couple of games. She’s got such a strong kick, we’re trying to harness it a little bit.”

After the game was tied 0-0 through regulation, two 10-minute overtime periods began.

In the second minute of the first overtime, Avery Johnson nearly kept her team’s opportunity for a league title alive. The Southwestern senior got free for a shot to the right of Baglia and aimed for the far post, but Baglia dove to her left and made one of her four saves to keep the game scoreless.

“That’s the definition of clutch — on both players. For Avery, that’s the spot. Ellyson, great reaction,” Houser said of the game-changing play. “That would’ve been nice to sneak it out. Great players make great plays.”

“That was the best save she’s made all year and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Johnson said of Baglia. “She’s been awesome this year and we’re very lucky to have her.”

With a minute remaining in the second overtime, a handball at the 29-yard line gave Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove its best chance in the extra sessions, but Roth’s shot went high over the Southwestern net.

“We were just trying to get creative,” said Johnson, who moved Roth up to striker for the final 10 minutes. “If you play 0-0 for 90 minutes, you just have to try and switch something up.”

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove will travel to Pioneer on Friday and host Frewsburg on Monday before a likely league title-deciding tilt with Portville next Wednesday. The Trojans will now have a week to get Cresanti back in their lineup as they finish the regular season next Wednesday at home against Fredonia.

“She’s an incredibly smart player and incredibly hard worker. She’s got everything. If you are building a team, you want a player like that,” Houser said of Cresanti. ” … I really think a lot of people stepped up in her absence. Lucy Brown has kind of had to fill those shoes and that’s not an easy job. She’s doing it the way Lucy does. It has kept us in games.”