Spencerport sophomore Erin Coykendall, defended here by Elisabeth Stowell, leads the Rangers with six goals and has 18 over the past two seasons.
Everyone knows how hot it was this summer, so when the Spencerport girls soccer team beat three teams in a span of five days in early September coach Jamie Schneider treated his players to ice cream.
“On the road and in that heat, they really battled,” Schneider said.
They’ve continued the fight and now the reward is six straight home matches because every match in the Rangers’ impressive 6-0-1 start has been on the road. Spencerport, which stayed in the No. 2 spot behind Fairport (9-0) in the Democrat and Chronicle’s large-school coaches’ poll, plays its home opener at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Webster Thomas (3-3-1).
Dominating Fairport girls are No. 1 in D&C soccer poll
The Rangers are coming off two solid matches, a 1-1 draw at No. 2 Webster Schroeder on Saturday and 1-0 win on Tuesday at No. 8 Penfield. Sophomore Leah Wengender scored the tying goal with just 74 seconds left in regulation at Schroeder. Top scorer Erin Coykendall netted the winner on Tuesday. The sophomore who was an All-Greater Rochester pick in soccer and lacrosse last school year has a team-high six goals. She had 12 last year and seven of those came off headers, Schneider said.
“She’s small but she has a great tactical sense for the game. She makes great runs,” Schneider said. “She’s gifted that way.”
Spencerport also has been boosted by the play of sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Oplanden, a transfer from Greece Arcadia who has five shutouts.
Spencerport goalie Lauren Oplanden, right, makes a save while colliding with Webster Schroeder’s Anna Hewlett during Saturday’s 1-1 tie in Webster.
The Rangers returned almost their entire lineup from last year’s 13-3-2 club that earned the top seed in the Section V Class A tournament but was upset by eventual champion and No. 9 seed Brighton, 3-2, in overtime in the quarterfinals. Spencerport’s last title came in 2007; before that, it was 1978.
“We have very high hopes. The goal is to win a sectional championship,” Schneider said.
Girls Soccer
Large-School Coaches’ Poll
1 – Fairport (7)
Record: 9-0
Points: 70
Previous rank: 1
2 – Spencerport
Record: 6-0-1
Points: 59
Previous rank: 2
3 – Webster Schroeder
Record: 6-0-1
Points: 58
Previous rank: 3
4 – Victor
Record: 5-1
Points: 50
Previous rank: 6
5 – Brockport
Record: 6-1
Points: 37
Previous rank: 4
6 – Aquinas
Record: 4-3-1
Points: 26
Previous rank: 7
7 – Pittsford Sutherland
Record: 5-2
Points: 24
Previous rank: 10
8 – Penfield
Record: 3-3-2
Points: 23
Previous rank: 5
9 – Mercy
Record: 5-2-1
Points: 20
Previous rank: 8
10 – Hilton
Record: 2-1-3
Points: 11
Previous rank: 9
Also received votes: Batavia, Brighton, Churchville-Chili, Greece Athena.
Small-school Coaches’ Poll
1 – Livonia (4)
Record: 5-1-2
Points: 58
Previous rank: 1
2 – Hornell (1)
Record: 7-0-1
Points: 54
Previous rank: 2
3 – Wheatland-Chili
Record: 6-0
Points: 47
Previous rank: 3
4 – Palmyra-Macedon
Record: 5-1-1
Points: 43
Previous rank: 6
5 – Geneseo
Record: 6-1
Points: 29
Previous rank: 7
6 – York
Record: 5-1-1
Points: 26
Previous rank: 4
7 – Addison
Record: 6-0-1
Points: 22
Previous rank: 5
8 – Gananda
Record: 7-1
Points: 21
Previous rank: 8
9 – Caledonia-Mumford
Record: 4-2-3
Points: 8
Previous rank: unranked
10 – South Seneca
Record: 5-1
Points: 7
Previous rank: 9
Also received votes: Byron-Bergen, Keshequa, Marion, Newark.
Note: Large schools poll includes Classes AA and A; small schools includes all others B, C and D.