Forty-two seconds, in the course of an 80-minute game, counts for less than 2 percent of the field time, which isn’t much – unless a championship is at stake and a decisive blow is rendered.
For the Cazenovia boys soccer team, still in search of that elusive first Section III title, those 42 seconds were pivotal, and led to a 2-0 defeat to Skaneateles in Tuesday night’s sectional final at Liverpool High School Stadium.
What was a 0-0 game turned when, just 42 seconds apart, Skaneateles nabbed both of its goals, turning a tight and tense contest into a chase where Cazenovia, further handicapped by a pair of red cards, could not catch up.
The two Laker rivals had met twice in the regular season, and each time Cazenovia had not earned a goal, dropping a 2-0 decision at the Sean Googin Sports Complex on Sept. 5 and playing Skaneateles to a 0-0 draw on Oct. 13 at Hyatt Stadium.
Despite this, Cazenovia entered the sectional tournament as the top seed, and Skaneateles the no. 2 seed. And while Cazenovia breezed to playoff wins over South Jefferson (5-0) and General Brown (3-0), Skaneateles got a big test in the semifinals, needing overtime to get past Clinton 1-0.
Now, in the title game, where Skaneateles lost to Westhill a year ago, it was quickly apparent that any goal would prove valuable.
All through the first half, the two sides remained 0-0. Other than Tyler Modzeleski’s shot that Billy Patrick stopped in the 11th minute, Cazenovia found it difficult to get close looks against a Skaneateles defense that took away any sort of open space.
Meanwhile, Cazenovia goalie Garrett Clabeaux faced more heat, but kept his opponent off the board, with some help. In the 17th minute, Sam Clymer banged a shot from the point off the crossbar, and just before halftime, Graham McCarthy hit that same crossbar with a curving shot.
Just 1:08 into the second half, Skaneateles broke through. Clymer took a perfectly-timed long pass from Francis Lombardi, ran in alone and fit a shot inside the right post.
Before Clabeaux and his teammates could regroup, Skaneateles attacked again and, less than a minute later, Weiss hard shot soared into the net.
Now with that two-goal margin, Skaneateles cranked up its defense, causing so much frustration that Cazenovia’s Cole Willard picked up two cards and was sent off.
Down to 10 players, Cazenovia only had occasional attacks the rest of the way, and though Skaneateles didn’t add to its lead with that man advantage, it still had enough to put away a sectional championship, its first since 2010.
Cazenovia finished with a 16-2-1 record, which meant it was undefeated against anyone other than Skaneateles. Now 11 seniors will depart, including Clabeaux, Tyler Modzeleski, Evan Cornell, Peter Burr, Eli LaGorga and Ryan Henderson. Willard, Ryan Modzeleski, George Betobaum, Burke Regan and Derek White highlight a solid returning cast for 2015.
