ONONDAGA COUNTY – Right up until the latter stages of regulation, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls soccer team had to feel like they were revisiting a bad dream.
The Northstars trailed archrival Liverpool by a goal last Wednesday night at LHS Stadium, just as it did last fall when the Warriors stunned unbeaten C-NS in the Section III Class AA semifinals.
Here, though, C-NS’s patience and pressure led to a stunning late turnaround and, ultimately, a 2-1 victory in overtime that might prove a turning point in the Northstars’ season.
C-NS had gone to the Sept. 10-11 Hall of Fame Tournament, where it played Long Island’s North Babylon to a 0-0 draw helped by Meghan McGrath stopping all 13 shots she faced.
A day earlier, the Northstars had lost, 5-1, to Rye, from Section I, where McGrath had nine saves. Only Allison Dimitrijevski scored for C-NS.
It amounted to a 1-2-1 record heading into the league opener where Liverpool, at 2-0-1, awaited.
Perhaps remembering its playoff performance from 2021, the Warriors clamped down on defense throughout a scoreless first half, adding to the pressure.
Then Liverpool went in front 1-0 early in the second half, and were convinced that its defense could make that slim margin stick – and it almost did.
But with 37 seconds left in regulation, Allison Dimitrijevski’s strong pass set up Grace Engle for the tying goal, and it was on to the 20 minutes of overtime.
Under new rules this fall, a “golden goal” will win such games, and the Northstars attained it when Dimitrijevski took it herself and put in the game-winner early in the extra period.
With newfound momentum, C-NS played twice at the Gillette Road complex over the weekend, starting on Saturday when the Northstars ripped Oneonta (Section IV) 8-0.
Emilee Rio and Mya Jenkins both scored twice, with single goals going to Dimitrijevski, Julianna Edwards, Katalina Lawrence and Maya Germain. Dimitrijevski, Lawrence and Adrianna Catalina each got assists.
Liverpool also played Saturday, shutting out another Section IV team, Elmira, in a 2-0 decision. Both goals came in the second half, with Grace Muller getting one and assisting on the other, by Jailyn Parrotte. Emily Rath assisted on Muller’s goal.
Reversing opponents on Sunday, it was C-NS blanking Athens 4-0. Dimitrijevski earned a pair of assists as four different players – Rio, Catalina, Mya Jenkins and Chloe Tice – earned the four goals. Kori Toms also had an assist.
And now it was Liverpool getting the 8-0 win over Oneonta, Muller and Alexa Marsh each netting a pair of goals. Parrotte and Hope Adugin both earned one goal and one assist, with Molly Ryan picking up three assists as Mya Wright and Bella Melfi also converted.
