Already past the midway point of its regular-season slate, the Skaneateles boys soccer team did not have many more in-game opportunities to make an impression, but did so as it moved toward an extended break in the schedule.
Skaneateles got a big win last Tuesday night at the Sean Googin Sports Complex, where it rallied from a halftime deficit and pulled out a 3-2 overtime victory over Cazenovia.
A 1-0 defeat to Marcellus on Sept. 19 had left Skaneateles with a 5-4 record, and things looked troubling when Cazenovia, on goals from Kevin Porter and Cole Willard, took a 2-1 edge to the half of this latest Laker clash.
Defensively, Skaneateles clamped down, blanking Cazenovia the rest of the way, allowing for a tying goal in the latter stages of regulation and an overtime game-winner thanks to relentless pressure on Cazenovia goalie Garrett Clabeaux, who still made 11 saves.
Sam Clymer led the rally, scoring twice. Tyler Strods earned the other goal, Eli Goodell and Jack Dawley picking up assists as Billy Patrick recorded seven saves.
Now the Lakers went after a bigger target, visiting undefeated, state Class B no. 5-ranked Westhill on Thursday night and, again, putting a scare into the defending Section III Class B champions before, again, falling to the Warriors 2-1.
These same two teams had met Sept. 3 at Hyatt Stadium – and that too ended in a 2-1 Laker defeat, the game scoreless until Westhill found the net twice in the second half and a late Skaneateles tally by Goodell proving futile.
Now they were playing again, on Westhill’s turf, and this time around all the goals came in the first 40 minutes. Barak BenYehuda and Mike McKnight both scored for the Warriors, but Jack Bailey found the net for the Lakers off a feed from Strods, keeping the margin at one.
Throughout the second half, Westhill probed, but could not get anything past Skaneateles goalie Billy Patrick, who finished with seven saves. At the same time, though, the Warrior back line ably protected the lead as Chris Burrows only had to make four saves.
With this tough stretch behind them, Skaneateles (6-5) takes a rare extended break. It will not play a game for 12 days before resuming Oct. 8 at Jordan-Elbridge, starting a stretch where it has five contests (including rematches with Marcellus and Cazenovia) in the remaining two weeks of the regular season.
