Whether it was an entire unit, or just an individual standing out, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool girls soccer team inched closer to a possible showdown for the Section III Class AA championship.
As the top seed and defending champion, the Northstars took apart no. 8 seed Central Square 9-0 in Thursday’s Class AA quarterfinal at Archie Hall Stadium. Meanwhile, at LHS Stadium, Ore Akinpelu’s hat trick propelled the no. 3 seed Warriors to a 3-1 victory over no. 6 seed Auburn.
All through Central New York, various girls soccer sectional games felt the effects from the wind, cold temperatures and occasional rain that hit the area, but it proved immune to a C-NS side hitting its full stride once more.
Not only did the Northstars get in front of Central Square 5-0 by halftime, it proceeded to add to that total and nearly reached double digits, a rarity in post-season play.
Stephanie Roberts stepped up for C-NS, scoring twice and adding two assists to match Hanna Haven’s output. Kelney Delbiondo also got two goals, with Kate Wagner adding a goal and two assists. Bryar Cummings had one goal and one assist as Meghan Duffy also found the net. Olivia King was credited with an assist.
Liverpool never got close to C-NS’s prodigious output, but with Akinpelu running wild, it didn’t need anything more against an Auburn side that gave the Warriors some serious stress in a 1-0 verdict back on Sept. 11.
By herself, Akinpelu doubled Liverpool’s goal total from that first meeting in the first half alone, pushing the Warriors to a 2-0 edge. Bridget Cuddy put the Maroons on the board in the second half, but Akinpelu still tacked on a third goal to help seal it.
In addition to her five saves in the net, Liverpool goalie Julia Richey was credited with an assist on one of Akinpelu’s goals, while Leanne Barnard also had an assist.
This sets up the AA semifinals, where the Warriors will have to deal with no. 2 seed Baldwinsville, a team with which it spilt two regular-season meetings, while C-NS faces no. 4 seed West Genesee, who pushed the Northstars into overtime on Oct. 14 before a surge in the extra periods produced a 3-0 margin.
