Not quite four weeks after getting together for the first time, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys soccer teams had a rematch, this time at LHS Stadium.
And unlike that first encounter, it was the Warriors finishing on top, as it depended on Joe Sheehan’s finishing ability to beat the Northstars 2-1.
CNS had prevailed the first time, 3-1, at LeMoyne College on Sept. 17. But in the ensuing period, Liverpool had proven its worth as a Class AA title contender with, among other things, a 0-0 draw against Fayetteville-Manlius, the only blemish for the Hornets in 2011.
Through the first half, Liverpool stuck right with CNS, Sheehan converting as Darren Cooper found the net for the Northstars off a feed from Spenard.
In the second half, Sheehan’s second goal broke the tie, and from there a tough-minded Liverpool defense, led by Zach Peck, Mike Milligan, Kyle DeAngelis and Josh Yager, kept CNS from answering.
To start its busiest stretch of the season, Liverpool had knocked off Rochester Aquinas (Section V) by a 2-1 margin on Columbus Day, breaking a 1-1 tie with a second-half goal (just as it would against CNS)and hanging on thanks to a stout defense that blanked the Little Irish in the closing stages.
DeAngelis and Leo Rubio scored on the Warriors’ behalf, while Mike Schneider and Zach Munski earned assists. Each of Karl Miller’s six saves proved important.
Two days later, the Warriors blanked Utica Proctor 3-0, taking 13 shots to the opponents’ five and using that pressure to wear the Raiders down.
Again, Rubio scored, joining Sheehan and Bojan Anastovski with single goals. Schneider, Mike Eagan and Mike D’Agostino each had one assist. Miller had five saves for the shutout.
And right after the win over CNS, Liverpool, playing for the fourth time in six days, somehow managed to earn a 0-0 draw with Jamesville-DeWitt, the state’s top-ranked Class A team. Through all sorts of wind and rain, the two sides did not manage many offensive opportunities. Miller only had to make two saves.
It had also been a busy week for CNS, starting last Monday when it had to go into overtime to get past Rome Free Academy 3-2.
Led by Cooper, who scored twice, the Northstars had a 2-1 halftime lead, only to have the Black Knights tie it up in the second half. But CNS won it in the first OT as Bryan Sibble joined Cooper in the scoring column, while Logan Roberts and Rob Spenard added assists.
Two nights later, CNS hosted four-time defending Class AA champion Baldwinsville, who was off to the first 12-0 start in the program’s history.
The Northstars hoped to catch the Bees looking ahead to Saturday’s showdown with fellow unbeaten Fayetteville-Manlius, but it never got its offense going in a 1-0 loss.
Much of the first half passed without any real scoring opportunity from either side. But in the 33rd minute, when goalie Mike Sciotti dove to stop Jon Price’s header, he lost grip of the ball just long enough for B’ville’s Trevor Pauldine to swoop in and put it into the unoccupied net.
As the second half went on, CNS started to get better chances. Rob Spenard had a strong cross in the 47th minute that Bees goalie Alex Bono had to scoop up. Also, the Northstars had a series of late free kicks and a corner, but were stopped again.
