A 6-10 regular-season mark indicated, at least on the surface, that the Oneida boys soccer team’s stay in the Section III Class A playoffs was not going to be a long one.
But the Indians defied the odds — at least for one round, anyway — by stunning defending champion Fulton 3-2 in overtime in last Tuesday’s opening round.
Overcoming its no. 12 seed, Oneida prevailed when, nine minutes into the first OT, Sam Adams scored off David Rougeux’s free kick, the culmination on an inspired effort.
In terms of excitement, this game had plenty of it, starting with the fact that Fulton, the no. 5 seed, could not pull in front early thanks to the athleticism of Oneida goalie Neil Parry.
When it looked like Andrew Kush was going to put home a goal to give Fulton the lead in the 16th minute, Parry dove and batted it away just before it tucked inside the left post.
Properly inspired, Oneida got on the board less than four minutes later when, off a scramble, Evan Cooley shot from the point into the right side of the net.
The Indians’ lead grew to 2-0 in the 30th minute. As Connor Lomonaco hit a cross from the left corner, Fulton goalie Derek Bateman set to smother it — but before he could, Tyler Miller got a foot on the ball and poked it home.
It remained 2-0 at the break, but the adjustments Fulton made on the offensive side paid immediate dividends as Oneida’s lead quickly vanished.
After Trevor Littler hit the crossbar in the opening minute of the half, Andrew Kush took over as, four minutes into the half, his pass led to Ryan Kesterke’s goal. Barely a minute later, the same team combined again to beat Parry for the tying goal.
Though a lot of time remained in regulation, neither would break the 2-2 deadlock. For the most part, Oneida stayed on the defensive, not registering a shot for long periods of time and resisting all the Red Raiders’ charges. Parry would finish with seven saves.
The break before sudden-death OT seemed to refresh the Indians, as it got better chances. Then came the fateful free kick, with Rougeux firing from 40 yards out and Adams, breaking free, curling a shot just inside the crossbar and into the net to end Fulton’s season.