Ferndale’s Gossi, Hagemann combine for championship goals

By barstoolfanatics on September 9, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Submitted photos

Madison Gossi and Macie Hagemann combined for both of Ferndale’s goals in Saturday’s championship game at the Upper Lake girls soccer tournament.

The Ferndale girls stretched their winning streak to five straight with the tournament win in their final pre-league game.

The 2-0 victory over Kelseyville also avenged an earlier loss to the Knights in their season opener, which was the Wildcats’ only defeat of the campaign so far.

And the industrious Gossi and Hagemann both played key roles in the win, as they have for their team through the early season.

Ferndale started the game strong and came out with a point to prove, controlling the early exchanges and taking a first-half lead.

“We had multiple attacking opportunities right out the gate,” Ferndale head coach Bailey Davy. “I think having those early opportunities gave the girls some extra confidence to relax a little and settle into the game.”

And settle in they did.

They opened the scoring before halftime off a well-placed corner kick by Hagemann.

Gossi timed her run perfectly and slotted home for what would be the game-winning goal.

However, the game remained in the balance until late.

The Wildcats would add to their tally with just five minutes remaining, with Gossi and Hagemann combining again.

This time it was Hagemann who found the back of the net off a Gossi assist on a throw in.

With the tournament win, which also included a 1-0 victory over St. Bernard’s in Friday’s semifinal, the Wildcats improved to 5-1 on the season.

They have been perfect since dropping their opener against Kelseyville, and they have been so at both ends of the field.

During their five-game winning streak, the Ferndale girls have not allowed a single goal. with seniors Tinnley Pidgeon (goalkeeper) and Michaela Ellsmore (sweeper/stopper) leading the way on defense.

“As coaches, Brenden (McDonald) and I honestly couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Davy added. “Their resilience, their effort, their commitment to this team, trust in us as coaches.”

Last season, the Cats struggled to field a complete team, frequently lining up with just nine or 10 players, and while they remained competitive on defense they had problems finding the back of the net.

Not this year.

In their five wins, the Cats have outscored their opponents 20-0.

And they’ve succeeded with a group of players that believe in the team, with the returning players setting the tone for the newcomers.

“it’s not just the championship banner. That’s the icing on the cake,” Davy said. “It’s the players that have showed back up. They’ve welcomed our freshmen with open arms, emphasized the importance of what our goals are this season, and we’re all doing it as a team. It feels really good to be getting results.”