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 on Aug. 30 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 Sept. 1 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.
Far more important to the Warriors was its 4-1 win Saturday over Cazenovia, a prime Class B challenger who could not keep up despite a first-half goal from Brian Pezzi.
Up 2-1 at halftime, Westhill pulled further away thanks to two goals by Phillip Bogan, while BenYehuda had two assists. Bolesh and Adam Herne earned the other goals and Etoll gained an assist, too.
That was far better than what Marcellus experienced in the Cicero-North Syracuse Optimist Tournament, where it was swept in two games, falling to host C-NS 4-2 and then shut out by New Hartford 3-0.
Against the Northstars, the Mustangs got a goal in each half from David Bosak, yet saw C-NS break out of a 1-1 tie with goals from four different players to overcome Balman’s 10-save effort.
New Hartford prevailed over Marcellus a day later despite taking just eight shots, converting with goals by Giovanni Fornino, Seton King and Matt Chiffy as Fornino added an assist.
As for Bishop Ludden, who lost nine seniors from last year’s squad, it took a while to get going in last Thursday’s opener against Phoenix, and that proved costly as it lost to the Firebirds 3-2.
Sean Stevens torched the Gaelic Knights’ defense for a first-half natural hat trick, his three goals producing a 3-1 margin as Adam Hahn got two assists.
Ludden did pull back within one, having seen Connor Catalano and Michael Gaughan put in goals, but despite a preponderance of opportunities, it didn’t catch up as Firebirds goalie Sam Stellingwerf made 13 saves.
Jordan-Elbridge opened Aug. 30 with a 3-2 defeat to Cato-Meridian. Mike Meyer netted one goal for the Eagles and assisted on the other, by Kevin Chiaramonte, as Owen Barrigar assisted on Meyer’s tally. Still, the Blue Devils prevailed as Gavin Carvery twice assisted on goals by Chad Thompson and then scored one of his own.
But J-E struggled in last Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat to Mexico, constantly under attack as, combined, goalies Keegan Ferris and Keegan Delap had 16 saves.
The Tigers got two goals from Will Ruby and one each from Neil Deloch and Connor Spurling. J-E went on to lose 5-0 to Homer last Friday as Dan Sokolick scored twice for the Trojans.
