While it’s quite difficult to follow up a campaign that went all the way to the state Class B championship game, the Westhill boys soccer team will attempt it.
What hurts the Warriors’ plans is the sheer volume of roster turnover. Thirteen seniors graduated from the 2013 squad, including a host of stars like Barak BenYehuda, Tom Kinsella, Jared Ristoff, Matt Perry, Fletcher Chapin, Matt Torak, Mike Parasczak, Mike MacKnight and goalie Chris Burrows.
The presence of so many new starters did not faze Westhill at the outset, though, as it went on the road to the north country during Labor Day weekend to play in the General Brown Tournament.
Against Potsdam in the opening round on Aug. 29, Westhill pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Sandstoners, advancing to the final against host General Brown, who routed Carthage 6-1 in the other first-round contest.
But the Lions could not conquer the Warriors, who prevailed in a 2-0 shutout. A goal in each half proved enough as two of the new starters, Jack Miller and Michael Robinson, found the net and goalie Antonio Scrimale stopped all three shots he faced.
Once league play started last Tuesday night, Westhill was ready for it, going to Solvay and, led by Etoll, doubling its General Brown margin by blanking the Bearcats 4-0.
Every time he got open space, Etoll seemed to convert, finishing with a three-goal hat trick. Miller earned the other goal, with Robinson adding an assist. Given constant pressure, Scrimale made seven saves for his second consecutive shutout as Solvay counterpart Joe Reale got six saves.
Making it four wins in a row, the Warriors beat Phoenix by that same 4-0 margin in Thursday night’s home opener, getting in front 3-0 by halftime and diversifying the attack.
Etoll, Miller, Brian Sheridan and Connor Schwartz had one goal apiece, with Robinson, Steven Bailey, Tyler Rolince and Ryan Zimmerman earning assists.
Westhill was well into its season before Marcellus took the field, but the Mustangs still managed to find the win column in its season debut, going to Cortland and edging past the Purple Tigers 3-2.
Ross Filtch and Mike Melnyczuk got goals, Adam Molinari and Nate Kellar earning assists. Each of Ian LeFever’s 11 saves proved important to overcome two goals from Cortland’s Justin Prentice.
Solvay opened with a tough 1-0 overtime defeat to Chittenango, the lone goal coming when Joe Murray scored for the Bears in the extra period off a feed from Seamus St. Leger. None of the Bearcats’ eight shots got past Chittenango goalie Dane Johnson.
Angry with that, the Bearcats took it out on Jordan-Elbridge Thursday night. The 8-2 rout included Russell Solovskiy’s three-goal hat trick, plus Maid Kahrimanovic earning two goals and two assists. Vlad Tru had a goal and two assists as Nazar Trut and Hamed Salman also scored. Nick Falcone accounted for both of J-E’s goals.
Solvay would play Skaneateles tough on Saturday afternoon, but still exit with a 3-0 loss to the Lakers, mostly finding it difficult to contain the Lakers’ Eli Goodell, who notched goal and assisted on the other two, by Sam Clymer and Andrew Weiss.
Still in the OHSL Patriot division, Bishop Ludden opened last Tuesday with a brave comeback attempt at Manlius-Pebble Hill that fell just short as it lost, 3-2, to the Trojans.
At halftime, the Gaelic Knights trailed, 3-0, having seen MPH’s Gerrit Church score twice and Sam Goldman add a goal. Thomas Muller turned it around, though, with a pair of second-half goals as Liam Katko assisted on one of them. Still, the Trojans held on.
Ludden didn’t find it easier on Thursday night, falling 5-1 to two-time defending sectional Class C champion Fabius-Pompey. Muller’s first-half goal got trumped as the Falcons pulled away late, Dylan Perez’s three goals and one assist overcoming Adam Lockwood’s 11 saves.
