OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Fredonia’s Cecilia Tonelli (24) attempts to run between Allegany-Limesetone’s Carley Barrey (11) and Kendall Lemon during Tuesday’s Section VI Class B girls soccer semifinal at Allegany-Limestone High School.

ALLEGANY — The Fredonia girls soccer team tied and then beat Allegany-Limestone in league play this season.

However, when it mattered most, the fifth-seeded Gators rose to the occasion in the Section VI Class B semifinals and knocked out No. 9 Fredonia in a 5-1 decision on Tuesday at Allegany-Limestone High School.

In the first season under Head Coach Kyle Marvin, the expectations — even from some of his players — were low, but the girls managed to exceed those this year.

“This obviously wasn’t what we hoped for in this game, but overall our season was very successful,” Marvin stated. “We beat some top teams during the season that other people didn’t expect us to be able to compete with. Getting this far and to be one game away from a sectional championship is something the girls should be proud of. They’ve worked hard all year to get to this point and I’m proud of them as well.”

No. 5 Allegany-Limestone gave Fredonia very little time to find its footing as Kennedy Honeck sent a great cross to Cait Conroy in the box and she ripped it home for the 1-0 lead in the third minute.

The Gators continued bringing the pressure, and in the eighth minute a massive Naomi Muck save brought up their first corner. Allegany-Limestone shoveled home the loose ball, making the save a moot point.

Fredonia answered back in the 13th minute when Cecelia Tonelli set up Madelyn Polhamus to cut the lead in half.

However, it wasn’t even a minute later that the Gators won another corner and Honeck’s cross found the foot of Logan Potter for the 3-1 lead.

“We gave up quite a bit of corners today,” Marvin said, “which are obviously dangerous chances for them. We did not get to the right spots at the right times in certain cases. We had numbers up and just didn’t get to the ball first and, unfortunately, gave up some goals early in the game that kind of changed what we did.”

Fredonia could have been in a bigger hole at halftime, but Muck made several big saves including sliding across the net to thwart Potter and punching away a shot by Kai Wojewoda-Ko that was labeled below the bar.

“Naomi has just been amazing for our team,” Marvin said. “Today, giving up five goals is tough, but that’s not all on her. She has kept us in so many games throughout the year. She is a very valuable player and I’m just glad that we get her back next year, because she is just someone that is so athletic and can make a lot of stops in goal that we need.”

Allegany-Limestone held off Fredonia’s second-half push and then put the game away in the 59th minute with a Wojewoda-Ko goal, and Honeck added the final tally in the 69th.

Allegany-Limestone meets No. 3 Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove in the sectional final rematch from last year that saw the Golden Cougars break through.

“Our league is challenging,” Marvin said about the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1. “It is tough, all the coaches talk about it at games. It is a tough league to be in and to be down to the last four from our division it does speak a lot to how strong this league is. It’s been a battle from the beginning of the season until now and I think it does prepare us well to be playing tough games all season long.”

Fredonia exceeded expectations this season with a 12-6-1 record and there is a bright future with just two graduating this year.

“I’m really proud of the girls for their effort this year,” Marvin said about the season. “A lot of them didn’t expect to be in this spot at the end of the season. Starting the season a lot of them were not very confident and that’s something we worked on this season, realizing that we are a competitive team in this league. It took us this far and I’m pretty proud of that.”