Field hockey: Pittsford Sutherland defeats crosstown rival with late goal for Section V title

James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read

The see-saw that Section V's Class B Field Hockey Championship slides on is tilted toward the Pittsford Sutherland Knights.

Sutherland loosened Pittsford Mendon's hold on the sectional title during Saturday's final, when the Knights defeated the 2021 Section V champion 2-1 at Brighton High. Harper Weisbeck unlocked a tie score with 3:37 remaining in the fourth quarter to move the Knights toward a second win over Pittsford Mendon in three meetings this season.

"I've never been so excited," Pittsford Sutherland senior forward Ava Bleier said. "I also was a little worried because Mendon is such a good team. They come right down and score."

More:Section V field hockey scores for the 2022 season

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Play of the game

Weisbeck, a forward in her senior season with the Knights, was between two Mendon Vikings after she collected a rebound of a shot by Ava Bleier. She was about three yards from a post on her left when she tapped in her game-winning shot.

"It was a team effort," Weisbeck said. "It was a big moment.

"We finally got the lead. We just had to keep it up."

Player of the game

Pittsford Sutherland senior Ava Bleier senior forward seemed to always be in the swirl of action.

Bleier scored the key first goal of the game for the Knights with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter. The 2021 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Team member whacked a shot into a lower corner of a net from 15 yards.

There was a rush upfield by Bleier in the second half where she moved past three Mendon Vikings, before the push was stopped. It was Bleier who had possession during the final seconds to help clear the ball after Mendon's last flurry for another tying goal.

By the numbers

1 - An answer goal by Mendon senior midfielder Sophia Albano with 1:56 remaining in the second quarter. The score was 1-1 at halftime.

3 - Number of pushes or scrambles by the Mendon Vikings during the final 1:30, the last attempts to beat Sutherland senior goalie Nicole Sylvestri.

"It was pretty crazy, there was a lot going on," Weisbeck said. "Everyone was yelling, we had to keep up the way we were playing.

"We couldn't let down, they were fully going for it."

They said it

"Mendon has won it a lot the last few years. We had the heart, we really wanted to win. We had a great team mentality. Everyone supported each other, and we all wanted it bad. Our coach (Kathy Hutteman) has helped us a lot. She's pushed us hard to be the team we can be." - Pittsford Sutherland senior forward Harper Weisbeck

""It's been rough, we've always been so close. We've always beaten them in the regular season, but we could never finish." Pittsford Sutherland senior forward Ava Bleier

What's next

The Knights (15-2) take on the Buffalo region champion next, Section V versus Section VI, in the regional round of the state tournament. The games are November 5 in Section VI.

Mendon's season record is 15-3.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Field hockey: Pittsford Sutherland defeats rival for Section V title