CENTRAL NEW YORK – Strong programs carrying championship legacies means that, in area high school boys soccer, it’s difficult to stick out unless there’s supreme individual talent.

East Syracuse Minoa aims for this with Joel Alvarez, who dazzled right from the outset of the season last Friday when he earned a hat trick in a 6-1 win over defending sectional Class B champion Marcellus at West Genesee High School.

Alvarez, who had 18 goals as a sophomore but was held to six goals a season ago as ESM went 9-5-5, continually burned a rebuilt Mustangs defense, not only netting three goals, but getting two assists as Jackson Tedesco converted twice and Jake Aldrich added a goal. Jett Winans and Joevany Alvarez also earned assists.

Facing Westhill a day later on that same WG turf, the Spartans had to play in a different manner, but showed patience and poise in defeating the Warriors 2-0.

Just one goal in each half proved enough, Alvarez converting his fourth goal and Niko Santoro also finding the net. Assists were credited to Tedesco and Arnes Osmanovic and ESM dominated the flow of play, taking 12 shots to Westhill’s three.

Not to be outdone, Manlius Pebble Hill senior Sam Lurvey made an instant case for stardom in last Tuesday’s season opener at Cortland, dominating the Purple Tigers throughout a 4-1 victory.

The Trojans were eager to start 2024 after going 14-4 a season ago and dropping a close Section III Class D semifinal to Poland, as Lurvey scored twice in the first half to give his side a 2-0 advantage.

Not content with this, Lurvey found the net twice more in the second half to give him four goals, with brother Nick Lurvey twice assisting on those scoring plays and Jack Liddy adding a single assist.

Going to Solvay two nights later, MPH again won by a 4-1 margin, this time spreading out its production even though the pattern was the same with a pair of goals netted in each half.

As a whole unit, few were able to top Christian Brothers Academy in 2023 as the Brothers were undefeated in 18 games on the way to beating ESM for the sectional Class AA championship.

Yet the Brothers, who had to replace top scorer Connor Morgia (28 goals, 14 assists), only managed a 1-1 draw with Rome Free Academy in last Thursday’s opener. Caleb Buddie scored in the first half, assisted by Will Kanerviko, but the Black Knights countered with Raheem Taylor’s second-half goal and got seven saves from Gavin Pollick.

Two days later, CBA met Nottingham and lost, 1-0, the Bulldogs getting the tie-breaker in the second half when Sam Bienvenue put it in the net, a goal the Brothers could not equal.

The big story at Fayetteville-Manlius is another coaching change, the second since Jeff Hammond retired.

Nate Bourdeau, a former Baldwinsville star who played in college at Boston College and Rutgers, took over the Hornets once Corey Fonseca left to take the Morrisville State job.

F-M debuted last Wednesday night at Sunnycrest Field against Henninger, a tense game decided by a late goal that allowed the Hornets to edge the Black Knights 1-0.

It took T.J. Helmer converting off a feed from Jack Burns to pay off the constant pressure F-M put on Henninger goalkeeper Jean Damuru, who was sensational most of the way, recording 11 saves.

F-M then went to Skaneateles on Saturday, where helped by Brad Mohammed’s goal it was up 2-0 at halftime, but could not hold on to it, the Lakers rallying for a 2-2 draw led by Ian Thompson getting a goal and assisting on Cody Crane’s tally.

Jamesville-DeWitt was 7-10-2 last fall yet still reached the sectional Class A semifinals, and the ambitious Red Rams had an ambitious opening assignment last Thursday night against visiting Nottingham.
With a single goal in each half, the Bulldogs subdued J-D 2-0, seeing Zakaria Daniel and Sabir Abdul Salam convert, Nottingham managing to hold the Rams to just three shots all game.

Turning it around in a hurry, J-D blanked South Jefferson 4-0 on Saturday, with Emile Antoine getting a pair of goals and Mahir Bechir earning a goal and assist. Moujahid Cherif had the other goal as Luke Brazell, Ben Kenna and Aydin Ipek earned assists.