At least through the early portions of the 2011 season, the Liverpool girls soccer team is proving itself a formidable force.
Perfect after opening wins over Fayetteville-Manlius and Skaneateles, the Warriors saved its best effort so far for Tuesday night’s clash with another unbeaten, West Genesee, at LHS Stadium.
And from the very beginning, Liverpool dictated matters, not letting up until it had recorded a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats.
Going in, WG had a 4-0 mark, and boasted an attack where two different players, Melissa Fumano and Erica Geremia, had already recorded hat tricks.
But Fumano, Geremia and anyone else in a Wildcat uniform barely had a chance to see the ball in the early stages. Liverpool sent swarms of attackers into WG’s end and peppered its goalie Andrea Francisco, with close calls.
Exactly eight minutes into the game, senior Kim Murphy, taking a free kick from 40 yards out, struck it right into the top middle of the net, just beyond Francisco’s reach.
Less than five minutes later, it was 2-0, courtesy of senior Julia Heberger launching a shot from the left side that also found the top of the net.
Only a series of great stops by Francisco, who would record 13 saves on the night, kept the game from a total blowout in the early going. Yet WG rarely relieved pressure on her, not developing any real attack of its own until late in the half, where it fizzled out.
Liverpool tacked on another goal early in the second half as Nikki Carfi, with a nifty set of moves and deft dribbling, beat the defenders on the left side and fired from the left side, lofting the ball into the top right corner of the net – a near-perfect placement.
A weather delay, due to lightning, interrupted play in the 57th minute. Though things would resume, WG could do nothing about Liverpool’s comfortable margin.
Now the Warriors (3-0) practice and rest before next Monday’s trip to rival Cicero-North Syracuse and, 24 hours after that, a big clash with defending Class AA champion Baldwinsville at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, the make-up of a Sept. 7 rain postponement. And a rematch with F-M follows on Sept. 22, making it three tough road games in four nights.
