Things turned rough for both of West Genesee’s soccer teams just days before the announcement of the Section III Class AA playoff pairings.
For the girls Wildcats, sailing along with a 13-2 record, the jolt came Thursday night, when it went to Oswego and took a 3-2 defeat to the Buccaneers.
As this was going on, the WG boys team found itself under attack at Liverpool, unable to stop a red-hot Warrior attack in a 6-0 defeat.
Of the two, the girls game was more surprising. Oswego, though headed for the post-season, sported a modest 7-7 record and didn’t figure to worry the Wildcats, whose only prior losses this year were to state-ranked Liverpool and Baldwinsville.
However, in the first half the Bucs inched ahead, 1-0, helped by a strong effort in the net from goalkeeper Cassie Collins, who finished with 10 saves.
Becky Brien and Melissa Fumano both would score in the second half, but Oswego countered and maintained that slim margin as Caroline Reynolds, Liz Michaud and Jamie Bouffard put in the Bucs’s goals.
WG’s boys team had far more trouble at Liverpool, where an aggressive bunch of Warriors displayed little mercy. Goals by Mike D’Agostino and Joe Sheehan had the Wildcats behind, 2-0, at halftime.
It stayed that way until the latter stages of the second half, when Liverpool erupted for four more goals, two of them from sophomore Nick Zangaro as D’Agostino and Mike Schneider also converted. In defeat, Dylan Condon recorded 10 saves.
Two days before meeting Liverpool, the Wildcats had its last home game of the regular season and made it a memorable one, taking apart Central Square by that same 6-0 margin.
In particular, Stefanos Stamoulacatos had a memorable home finale, putting together a three-goal hat trick and adding an assist as WG scored three times in each half to get away from the Red Hawks.
Jake Sutherland enjoyed the occasion, too, managing a goal and two assists, while Eric Swindon and Sam Dudovski both put in their first goals of the season. Ryan Alberts added an assist.
And right after that defeat at Liverpool, the Wildcats rebounded, edging Rome Free Academy 2-1 to move its record to 10-5.
Sutherland had both goals, one in each half, while Zach Perkins earned an assist. Other than Sawyer Razy’s first-half goal, the Black Knights were kept off the board, Condon finishing with seven saves.
WG’s boys drew the no. 7 seed for the AA tournament and host no. 10 seed Nottingham in a tough first-round game. The winner gets a shot at four-time defending champion Baldwinsville in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the girls Wildcats have the no. 6 seed in Class AA and go straight into the quarterfinals later this week against no. 3 seed Watertown. The winner gets a semifinal against Liverpool or Fayetteville-Manlius.