With just five seniors on its roster, the Skaneateles boys soccer team made it all the way to the Section III Class B title game last fall, only to get stopped by eventual state finalist Westhill.
Thus, with little roster turnover, the Lakers entered 2014 with every reason to think that it could reach the top in both the section and OHSL Liberty division, especially since Westhill, by contrast, had to replace 13 graduating seniors, including most of its starting lineup.
And it won’t take long to find out if the gap between the two sides has closed. Skaneateles visits Westhill on Wednesday night, a critical early-season test that followed a busy opening week that included three league contests.
Of them, the toughest was last Friday night’s trip to Cazenovia, but it got handled in a unique manner as the visiting Lakers struck early, and then leaned on its defense to prevail by a 2-0 margin.
That margin was established long before many of the fans had settled in at the Sean Googin Sports Complex. Twice, Skaneateles attacked in the opening minutes, and both times it led to goals, with Eli Goodell twice finding the net and assists going to Sam Clymer and Sam Duggan.
And now the task fell on the Skaneateles defense. Cazenovia did a solid job protecting its own end after Goodell’s strikes, but every time the host Lakers tried to make a push, Skaneateles turned it back, protecting its goalkeeper, Billy Patrick, who only had to make three saves.
With less than 24 hours to recuperate, the Lakers went home to Hyatt Stadium to face Solvay on Saturday afternoon. Despite the short rest, the cooler, more comfortable conditions suited Skaneateles, who proceeded to shut out the Bearcats 3-0.
Solvay didn’t prove easy to solve, its defense resilient for much of the first half, only breaking when Andrew Weiss scored the game’s first goal off a well-timed feed from Goodell. It took Patrick’s acrobatic save late in the half to preserve the modest 1-0 margin.
Looking for a cushion after the break, Skaneateles got it when Goodell, again proving generous, found Clymer, who put it home to make it 2-0. Then Goodell capped off another big effort with his fifth goal of the week to establish the final margin.
Before all that, Skaneateles got to open on its home turf against Phoenix and had a chance to run wild, nearly reaching double digits on the scoreboard in a 9-0 shutout of the Firebirds.
Rain fell throughout the first half, but it didn’t bother the Lakers, who poured on the goals until it had gained a 5-0 advantage. Then it nearly doubled that margin in the second half, despite having everyone in the roster see some playing time.
Goodell and Jack Bailey led the way, each scoring twice. Nick Palmer earned a pair of assists as Duggan, Andrew Weiss, Jack VanSlyke and Dylan Viscomi picked up single goals. Max Messie contributed an assist.
Besides the showdown with Westhill, Skaneateles also hosts the annual Finger Lakes Cup this weekend, meeting Rochester Aquinas in Friday night’s opening round as West Genesee takes on Canisius, from Buffalo, with two more games to follow on Saturday.
