Ask any team that spends an extended length of time at the top of the standings, and they’ll say how the degree of difficulty only grows with each passing year.
So it is for Westhill’s boys soccer team, who has claimed the last two Section III Class B titles and made back-to-back state final four appearances, too, from which it is difficult to climb much more.
Perhaps no one wants to take the Warriors down more than Marcellus, and last Thursday the Mustangs did so in the season opener for both sides, edging Westhill 1-0.
When these same teams met a season ago, Marcellus had a late lead but gave up two goals in the final minute, including one on a penalty kick by Bo BenYehuda in the waning seconds.
Perhaps remembering that pain, the Mustangs played Westhill to a first-half 0-0 draw. Then it kept defending well, surrendering most of the chances but having goalie Dan Balman get nine saves.
Marcellus didn’t have many opportunities of its own, but late in regulation David Bosak got open and, off a feed from Josh Wilkinson, put it past Liam Robb. And unlike 2017, the Mustangs made that slim lead stick.
Not having a letdown, Marcellus beat Homer 6-2 a day later, with Bosak getting one goal and one assist along with Tristan Jarvi and Lukas Stasyuk. Ryan Lundrigan got two goals as Ryan Moses found the net, too.
Westhill rebounded Saturday by blanking Holland Patent 5-0. Justin Ristoff scored twice, with BenYehuda getting a goal for the first time this season, as did Charlie Bolesh and Mack Etoll. David McPeak had two assists as single assists went to Will Delano and Eamon McPeak.
