Having worked hard to reach their respective Section III Class A playoffs, each of Chittenango’s soccer teams wanted to stick around, at least for a couple of rounds.
But it didn’t happen, and for the girls Bears, holding the no. 12 seed, the frustration was real as it went to no. 5 seed New Hartford in Tuesday night’s opening round and was in the fight for a long while before taking a 2-0 defeat to the Spartans.
Wet, raw conditions seemed to affect both teams during a 0-0 first half. Chittenango’s attack had a series of opportunties, but could not get anything past New Hartford goalkeeper Dana Del Genio, who would finish with eight saves.
Katy Myka also had eight saves on the Bears’ part, and kept the game scoreless deep into the second half. But Alysa Keady would help the Spartans prevail, her passes setting up goals by Micaela Honsinger and Shae Siniscaro that allowed New Hartford to advance.
Chittenango, meanwhile, finished its season at 8-8, and will not go through a serious roster turnover, though seniors like Kate Boyer and Erin Fitzgerald will depart. Myka will return, as will top scorer Lauren Billington, Alli Cerio, Kayla Bain, Megan Pierce, Krissy Roberts, Morgan Shoemaker, Ashley Young and Nicole Zimmer.
Moving to the boys side, when Chittenango, the no. 13 seed, took its turn in Wednesday’s opening round of the sectional Class A playoffs, it found itself overwhelmed by no. 4 seed Jamesville-DeWitt, falling 5-0 to the Red Rams.
All game long, the Bears found itself in a defensive mode, and that would take a toll. J-D led, 2-0, by halftime, and would more than double that total in the second half, overcoming nine saves from Chittenango goalie Dane Johnson.
Dean Kousmanidis, putting in three assists, led a well-balanced Red Rams attack where five different players – Josh Frank, Tyler Gabriel, Xander Ferlenda, Jake Socia and Tyler Lux – put in the five goals.
The Bears finished at 6-9-1 in 2014, and the departing senior class includes the likes of Johnson, Joe Murray, John Murray, Connor Martin, Jack Wandersee, Kyle Brazell and Andrew Clark.
