ONONDAGA COUNTY – Continuing in the tradition of rival schools working together for a common good, soccer programs at Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy gathered last Saturday at Hornet Stadium.
This was the annual “Red Out” game started years ago by CBA boys soccer head coach Joe Papaleo in memory of his late daughter, an F-M graduate who passed away 10 years ago due to a heart ailment.
Special red-and-white uniforms are worn by both teams, and all proceeds from T-shirt sales and other events go to benefit the American Heart Association.
And in the game itself, it was the Brothers that emerged victorious, running its record to 11-0-1 with a 3-1 victory over the Hornets.
The two sides exchanged first-half goals, but CBA took charge in the second half, led by Connor Morgia, who three times burned F-M’s defense.
Morgia landed a goal and assisted on the other two, by Zach Mulhern and Juiluz Pichardokmp. Zack Walma also got an assist as, defensively, the Brothers withstood plenty of F-M chances, Finn Wheeler stopping 12 of 13 shots.
F-M started out the week having moved up to no. 8 in the state Class AA rankings and into first place in the SCAC Metro division, but were quickly humbled last Tuesday during a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, a team it beat 2-0 just 10 days earlier at LHS Stadium.
Amid wet, windy conditions, Liverpool inched in front just three minutes into the game when Nick Hope found the net, his first goal of the season.
For the rest of the 76-plus minutes of regulation, the Hornets’ defense prevented anything further, the Warriors managing just four shots overall. But F-M could not pull even, the closest call coming when Nick Donnelly’s hard shot banged off the crossbar.
CBA played that same night at Westhill and won this clash of state-ranked teams over the Warriors by a 3-0 margin.
Proving why it had the no. 16 spot in the state Class A rankings, the Brothers went in front early, then added to it in the second half by converting twice more.
None of the Warriors’ eight shots got past Wheeler as Morgia, with one goal and one assist, led the Brothers’ attack. Walma and Tom Leskoske got the other goals, with Pichardokmp and Jack Griffith erning assists.
An 8-2 romp over Solvay followed on Thursday, with Andrew Kohlbrenner breaking out, his four goals setting a career mark after he had only scored twice in his team’s previous 10 games.
Not to be left out, Griffith converted twice, with Morgia piling up four assists and Santiago Betancourt-Trompa two assists as they both netted goals, too. Rico Petrosillo and Bruce Broadwell also had assists.
