Lansing girls soccer off to flying start

Just past the midway point of the Section IV girls soccer season, one of the most in-form teams resides here in Tompkins County.

The Lansing girls soccer team has won its first nine games of the campaign and is one of only two undefeated teams in the IAC, as of September 24. Head coach Eric Stickel talked about how the biggest key to the Bobcats’ success so far is not soccer-specific.

“It’s actually the cohesiveness of the group and how our younger players have embraced the older players and the older players have embraced the younger players,” Stickel said. “It’s showing off, especially in two games in Albany where we were down in both games and able to come out with the win due to our cohesiveness and positivity in otherwise difficult circumstances being down.”

Stickel is referencing the New York State High School Girls Soccer Hall of Fame Tournament that Lansing participated in from September 9-10. The Bobcats faced off against tough and unfamiliar opposition in a pair of Section II teams. Against Hoosick Valley, the Bobcats were down 2-0 after 12 minutes and came back to win 3-2. They then defeated Mayfield 5-3 and returned to Lansing with some hardware in hand.

“I don’t ever like being down in games,” Stickel said, “But it’s great to experience that in-game stress and I’m able to make some tactical changes, and everyone embraced it. I think just the positivity, even in those circumstances being down, we’re able to get through it together. It’s been a resounding influence thus far. This group is very, very positive towards each other and supportive, and it’s awesome to see.”

That positivity has carried over into IAC play, especially on the defensive side. The Bobcats have conceded just two goals against conference opponents so far, even with All-State defender Ava Wilder graduating (and now playing at Johnson & Wales alongside fellow Bobcat Lulani Haslinger). Stickel praised his back line for working together so effectively as a unit.

“We’ve got a freshman back there [Leah Clark] surrounded by two seniors [Elise Jackson and Isa Vence] and a junior [Diyah Rahaman],” Stickel said. “They’ve taken the freshman under their wings and really helped guide her to play the soccer that she’s capable of playing… They’re a great group of kids. They work their tails off. They deserve all the accolades they’ve been getting.”

When the opposition somehow gets past the back line, they’ve often been stopped by an eighth grader in goal. Nasia Whyte has impressed immensely in her debut varsity campaign. Her biggest highlight came against rivals Dryden, where she saved a penalty kick to preserve the Bobcats’ lead in a crucial 1-0 victory. It’s clear to see why Stickel puts so much trust in Whyte at such an important position.

“As far as the game’s concerned, it slows down for her,” Stickel said. “If you see the plays she makes, they’re almost effortless when they really shouldn’t be. She’s got great positioning. She’s on her line a lot of times. Her athleticism is just through the roof, and that’s a great feature you want for a goalkeeper. She’s not reached her potential quite yet. Her ceiling is very, very high, and we’re gonna keep developing her to keep improving each and every day.”

Complementing Whyte and the back line is a well-balanced attack led by seniors Izzy Gustafson and Emma Heasley and junior Hailey Jacobs. The trio have combined for 22 of the Bobcats’ 31 goals so far. Stickel credited the work they put in heading into the campaign as to why they gel so well together.

“I think a lot of it is their off-ball movement that has been absent a little bit in years past,” Stickel said. “We focused a lot in preseason in our attacking third, and they’re not only finding the runs at the ball to space, but [it’s] just the movement off the ball that allows Izzy, Emma, and Hailey to get open. They complement each other, and it’s indicative of the goalscoring we’ve been able to do with those three.”

The Bobcats will hope to have a better postseason than last year, where they lost to Waverly in both the IAC Large School Championship and the quarterfinals of the Section IV Class B tournament. With a productive attack, a rock-solid defense, and a rising star in between the sticks, the Bobcats certainly have what it takes to make a deep postseason run.

“I think it’s [about] remaining calm and focusing on what we can control,” Stickel said. “As I said many times, [it’s] just improving each day, and that’s for the coaching staff to work on and the girls to embrace it. We’ll see what happens come IAC and sectional play.”

The Bobcats are back in action on September 29 at Dryden for another vital divisional showdown.