LIVERPOOL – If the Cicero-North Syracuse girls soccer team ended up with an improved seed for the upcoming Section III Class AA playoffs, it may, ironically, have its neighbors from Liverpool to thank in part.
When the Warriors staged a stunning late comeback to beat first-place Fayetteville-Manlius 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night at LHS Stadium, it helped put the Northstars back on top of the standings.
Of course, the game meant a whole lot to Liverpool on several fronts. It was Senior Night, and the Warriors were bent on knocking off a Hornets side it lost to 3-2 in September and fell to in last fall’s Section III Class AA final.
And the way Liverpool earned it would prove quite memorable.
A solid first half where it had long possessions in F-M’s end did not lead to any goals, and the Hornets gradually picked up its pressure in the second half until, just past the midway point, Morgan Goodman ripped a 30-yard free kick to the top of the net that Hannah Smith had no chance to stop.
But the game’s momentum turned when an injury sidelined one of the seniors, Molly Ryan, who exited the game with nine minutes to play.
Energized to support their teammate, the Warriors went all-out in its attack, forcing F-M back, and with 3:25 left that led to a foul inside the 18-yard box when Grace Muller charged in.
Given a penalty kick, Jailyn Parrotte put it past a diving Mackenzie Murphy, and Liverpool was even, 1-1.
After a first OT where both teams had good chances, F-M three times early in the second OT got close to winning it, only to have Smith make first-class stops – twice on Mary Coughlin, once on Una Vlasak.
Then, with three minutes left, Alexa Marsh picked up possession on the left side near midfield, and passed to a streaking Muller going up the middle. In one motion, Muller fired a low shot that sailed past a charging Murphy and found the net for the game-winner.
