Can the tone for an entire season be set in just one night?
The Cicero-North Syracuse field hockey team sure hopes that is the case, especially after it rallied from a two-goal deficit Wednesday night’s season opener at Bragman Stadium against rival Liverpool to claim a 2-2 tie in a game that featured drama better suited to late October than early September.
Going into 2010, there was good and bad news for Liverpool to consider. The good part was that, after playing two seasons worth of games at Syracuse University’s Coyne Field, it was finally able to come back home and play on the brand-new turf installed earlier this year at Warrior Stadium.
The bad part was that it would return minus several standouts that helped head coach Kim Dominick’s Warriors dominate the Section III Class A ranks in recent years, its two-year championship run only stopped by a loss to Rome Free Academy in the 2009 sectional finals.
Wasting little time getting to the marquee, Liverpool opened at CNS, another recent champion (in 2005 and 2006) seeking to reclaim championship form after the Warriors and RFA passed them in recent years.
Liverpool’s first attack of the reason resulted in the first goal – and it only took 1:02 to get on the board. Off a penalty corner, Kathryn Albro flashed open, just inside the circle, and ripped a shot past CNS goalie Meghan Wiacek.
It got quiet for a while, but Liverpool fought through the wind and rain to convert again later in the half off another penalty corner, this time Angela Charles getting the goal.
Right after that goal, CNS coach Pat Kennedy called a time-out. It seemed to calm down the Northstars, who immediately set out on its best attacks of the night. That paid off when, 3:59 before halftime, Alaina Stojkovski finished off a fast break by poking a shot past Tess Tracy, cutting Liverpool’s lead in half.
The rain let up, then started again just in time for the second-half face-off. They continued going back and forth as the Warriors had several penalty corners, yet could not reclaim its earlier margin.
For a while, CNS could only manage the occasional attack. But late in regulation, it forced a penalty corner and, with 3:04 left, Stojkovski rammed a slap shot left of Tracy for the tying goal.
During the 10-minute overtime period (where teams play seven on seven), Liverpool put on constant pressure and got five penalty corners. Yet it could not take advantage of any of them, and CNS maintained the tie.
Just before Liverpool and CNS squared off, Baldwinsville made a bold opening statement at home, shutting out defending champion RFA by a score of 4-0.
