Perhaps tired of all this overtime business, the Skaneateles boys soccer team chose a more conventional way of making it through its own Finger Lakes Cup.
The Lakers lay claim to the tournament title with victories over Burke Catholic and West Genesee in a span of less than 24 hours – without needing to go beyond the 80 minutes of regulation to do so.
Each of Skanetaeles’ three previous games – the make-up of the weather-delayed game with Marcellus Sept. 15, followed in the next five days by trips to Cazenovia and Solvay – required OT, the Lakers tying the first two foes 1-1 and prevailing 4-3 against the Bearcats.
When Skaneateles faced Burke Catholic in Friday night’s opening round, they were not strangers. The two sides had met in the 2010 state Class B championship game, won by Skaneateles 1-0 to complete an undefeated run to the ultimate prize.
A handful of players on both sides are still around, but this rematch was not as close as the original. Skaneateles took charge early and did not stop until it had put together a 5-0 victory.
It was Alex Brownlee and Sam Clymer who pushed the Lakers in front, their goals giving the hosts a 2-0 edge going into halftime. But it didn’t stop there as Skaneateles, led by Sean Farrell, made a clean getaway in the latter stages.
Farrell scored twice in the second half, adding an assist. Brownlee also had an assist as Jack Bailey notched the other goal and Alex Weiss got an assist, too. The effective Lakers’ defense held Burke Catholic to five shots, all scooped up by Erik Pola.
That defense would get tested again in Saturday’s final against West Genesee. The Wildcats had upended reigning Section III Class B champion Clinton 4-0 in the other opening-round contest, scoring all of its goals in the second half as Luis Delasota found the net twice, with Zach Perkins and Tim Ritch also converting.
The final was tense – but Skaneateles pulled it out, 1-0. Again, the defense was superb, breaking up WG’s attacks and watching as Pola stopped all eight shots he faced.
That hard work was rewarded when, in the second half, Clymer put in an unassisted goal, the only one to get past Wildcat keeper Ryan Holmeyer, who like Pola had eight saves on the day.
Clinton beat Burke Catholic 4-3 in the consolation game, getting two goals from both Steve Ford and Gavin Gleasman.
Farrell garnered tournament MVP honors, while Brownlee was named the Best Offensive Player and Ritch the Best Defensive Player. Pola, Clymer and Ryan Higman were named to the All-Tournament team.
