In a span of 48 hours, the Liverpool field hockey team would undergo a pair of high-profile home encounters against its two main rivals – who are also the holders of the last two Section III Class A titles.
To start with, the Warriors Monday night met Rome Free Academy, who won it all in 2009 by beating Liverpool in the championship match. In a close and tense contest, Liverpool gained a 2-1 victory over the Black Knights.
Emily Burns proved the catalyst on this night. The Warriors junior assisted on one goal in the first half and added another assist in the second half to offset the tally from RFA’s Ashley D’Amore.
Emma Lamison and Holly Clark picked up those goals, and Liverpool’s defense protected a slim margin all night, holding the Black Knights to four shots.
Two nights later, Baldwinsville, the 2010 champions, visited LHS Stadium, having undergone a roster turnover and a coaching change, Kerri Davin succeeding James Hanley.
Those changes were quite apparent on this night. Liverpool swarmed B’ville with an all-out attack that led to a 4-0 win that, amazingly, could have proven more lopsided.
That was because the Warriors took an incredible 34 shots, from every angle at Lindsay Farrell, the Bees’ busy goalie. Somehow, Farrell stopped 30 of them.
Late in the first half, though, Clark deflected home Lamison’s shot from the point, and Danielle Abold added a goal just before the break to make it 2-0. Lamison returned to convert a penalty stroke in the second half and assist on Mary Fadden’s goal.
As this went on, Cicero-North Syracuse lost a 1-0 home decision to Fayetteville-Manlius Monday at Bragman Stadium. Even though the Northstars took more shots, it could not get anything past Hornets goalie Abby Cunningham (nine saves), meaning that Kerry O’Connor’s first-half goal held up.
