New formations, alpaca farms: How F-M girls’ soccer won 4th-straight sectional title

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Fayetteville-Manlius girls soccer head coach Brett Ostrander made a “goal board” for his team at the beginning of the season. One was to win the Section III title, again, and another was to complete goat yoga. Midway through the regular season, Ostrander told his team that they were going to play in a tournament, but to dress “normally” and change at the field. The field turned out to be an alpaca farm, where the team did alpaca yoga, since there weren’t any goats.

Even after four consecutive Section III championships, the team never prioritized their success. They fostered a family culture and a trusting environment, Ostrander said. The team wasn’t chasing another ring when it entered the 2022 season. It was never about the program’s recent or historic success, but about the individual team, Ostrander said.

“We’re not chasing or defending titles. That’s not their job to do,” Ostrander said. “Their job is to win it on their own.”

On Nov. 1, the Hornets did just that, defeating West Genesee 2-0 for their fourth-straight Section III Championship title. Though it lost to Shaker High School in the New York State Tournament, Fayetteville-Manlius finished 12-7-1, solidifying the 2022 team into the program’s “history and tradition.”

Alora Miller, a senior center back who’s started all four years, said she was extra nervous heading into its match against West Genesee, a team that defeated the Hornets 3-0 in the team’s second of what would be three meetings throughout the season. Miller was injured in that loss back in October.

“We had nothing to lose so we came out very strong and played exactly how we planned to,” said Miller, Seton Hall commit.

Morgan Goodman, a junior forward, said the team had something to prove following the October loss. She said the Hornets were still underestimated since they weren’t a top-ranked team.

The Fayetteville-Manlius girls soccer team did alpaca yoga during the 2022 season. Courtesy of Alora Miller

Goodman scored the first goal in the last two minutes of the first half, recognizing that “we just have to hold onto it,” she said. To adjust to the strong front of the Wildcats, Goodman said the team switched from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 formation. She even doubted she would score the game winner because she thought West Genesee would score from a corner on the previous play.

Just 13 minutes into the second half, Ashley Seidberg extended the Hornets’ lead to 2-0 off a Goodman assist. It was Seidberg’s first and only goal of the season, and Goodman said watching the pair celebrate was her favorite moment. That would be the final scoreline as F-M held West Genesee scoreless, a significant improvement from the four goals it conceded to the Wildcats in the first two meetings. It was the team’s “peak moment,” Miller said.

“Winning that game proved we know what it takes,” said Goodman, who’s committed to Xavier. “Every year seeing a new player come in and understand that role is a great feeling.”

Despite the previous performances against West Genesee – a draw and a loss – F-M only had six other conference games, which allowed Ostrander to schedule several nonconference matches. Ostrander tried to schedule games against the toughest teams in the state based on last year’s rankings.

He did just that, as the Hornets lost to four nationally-ranked teams, two of which ranked in the top 10 in the state. The coach said he would argue that F-M has the hardest schedule out of any public school in New York state.

“Our losses were learning experiences, they got us battle-tested,” Ostrander said.

On senior day on Oct. 7 — the next game after the 3-0 loss — Cicero-North jumped out a 2-0 lead, but with the help of Goodman’s two goals, the Hornets came back to defeat the Northstars 4-2.

Despite the section title, the Hornets’ season would end at the hands of Shaker, which handed F-M a 5-0 pounding. But the difficult schedule will allow the Hornets to understand the level of competition they need to beat in order to secure a state title, Ostrander said.

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Ostrander’s priority is to develop relationships between the players and coaches.

“It’s about building the student athletes, before the sport,” Ostrander said. “We get more out of it then, as a team because we push and drive each other.”

Ostrander admitted that the four titles does create the mindset to go after a fifth-consecutive Section III title — which very few programs have. But his dedication isn’t about success, it’s about the players.

“We look at being on a soccer team and setting goals and facing challenges as just a microcosm of what their life is going to be,” Ostrander said. “If we can help them develop some tools for them to be successful in adult life, we have accomplished our goal.”