Butler girls soccer beats Freeport on Cecelia Wolford’s second-half goal

Derek Pyda Eagle Staff Writer

August 27, 2025 Last Updated: August 27, 2025 10:17 PM Sports

BUFFALO TWP — It’s not the number of scoring opportunities you get, but what you do with them that matters most.

Freeport’s girls soccer team was denied in its numerous chances in the first half of Wednesday’s game against Butler.

The Golden Tornado were able to level the flow of play in the second half, then tallied the decisive shot in the 62nd minute.

Cecelia Wolford’s strike from the right hash sailed 20 yards and was just beyond the reach of Yellowjackets goalie Alyssa Alcorn as it tucked itself just inside the left post. It was the only goal in Butler’s 1-0 victory at Freeport Stadium.

“It had been a while since I scored a long-distance goal,” said Wolford, who tallied 18 scores a year ago to lead the team. “I play club with Alyssa and she’s a great goalie, so I was a little surprised it went in.”

The goal, along with the Yellowjackets’ inability to score the equalizer, punctuated a frustrating night for the hosts, who were coming off an 8-0 win Monday over Indiana.

“It was a great shot by a great player, but we need to do better there,” Freeport coach Steve Kukic said. “We didn’t do a good enough job in the 1-on-1 battles tonight.”

That included sequences on the offensive end. Freeport (1-1) earned six corner kicks in the first half, five of them coming in the first seven-and-a-half minutes.

Butler goalie Ashton Huff stopped 12 shots on the night. Most of them were routine, but one exception came in the third minute.

Following a corner kick, Freeport midfielder Peyton Los got off an unobstructed shot from less than 10 yards. Huff made a diving save to keep the Tornado (1-1) even. It was one of her seven first-half stops.

“We are blessed to have two of the best keepers in the section with Ashton and Kaylen Yaracs,” Butler coach Dan Buzzard said. “I was a goalie in high school and college and didn’t like playing halves with another goalie. We plan to go back and forth with those two from game to game. When we get deeper into the season, we’ll go with the hot hand.”

Huff had help keeping the ’Jackets off the scoreboard. Malina McElroy, Kara Lubinsky and Maggie Lucas each thwarted Freeport chances with their hustle.

Alcorn made six saves for Freeport, five in the second half.

Butler has opened the season playing a 4-4-2 formation.

“It’s new for us, but we executed much better in the second half tonight,” Buzzard said. “We just need to continue to jell.”

While Butler plays another non-section game Saturday against Mercyhurst Prep, the Yellowjackets dive into WPIAL Section 2-2A play Wednesday at Shady Side Academy.

“We have to improve in the offensive third, making the right moves to give ourselves the best chance to score goals,” Kukic said. “We have the girls to do it.”