From past experience, the Liverpool girls soccer team knows quite well that regular-season glory is nice, but post-season glory carries a lot more weight.
To claim another Section III Class AA title, the no. 2 seed Warriors will have to try and topple top seed Baldwinsville Saturday at Fulton, something it couldn’t do in two regular-season meetings that went to overtime, with the Bees winning one (1-0) at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium and drawing the other (2-2) at LHS Stadium.
It’s nearly the same scenario as 2014, except that Liverpool was a no. 3 seed when it knocked off no. 1 seed Cicero-North Syracuse to reclaim the sectional crown.
Getting there required the Warriors to make it through Tuesday night’s AA semifinal at Nottingham High School, where a second-half surge pushed Liverpool past no. 3 seed Fayetteville-Manlius 3-1.
The Warriors had beaten the Hornets twice in the regular season, but the last of those games was a tense 1-0 battle on Oct. 10, so F-M believed that it had figured out how to defend the Warriors.
Things were quiet until the 17th minute, when Alex Bittel drilled a 25-yard shot past F-M goalie Sabrina Suriani. Seconds later, though, the Hornets tied it, 1-1, when it grabbed the ensuing kickoff, charged toward the net and saw Mirren Galway beat Julia Richey.
They were still 1-1 when, 2:11 into the second half, Liverpool’s Bri Kovarik made a sensational individual play, stripping the ball from an F-M player 30 yards from the net and then turning around, dribbling past two more Hornets defenders and firing a hard shot to the top of the net that Suriani had no chance to stop.
Not content with its one-goal lead, the Warriors kept pushing hard, and in the 58th minute Suriani collided with Meagan O’Neil charging to the net. Officials awarded a penalty kick that Leanne Barnard converted, and Liverpool would not get caught, though F-M did get some late chances. Suriani finished with eight saves, twice Richey’s total.
Earlier that same night, at Christian Brothers Academy’s Alibrandi Stadium, B’ville returned from a 14-day layoff and knocked off West Genesee 2-0 in the other AA semifinal on goals by Mackenzie Schaffner in the first half and Bella May in the second half.
Thus, the sectional title showdown most had anticipated since August has come to pass, with the state no. 8-ranked Warriors and no. 6-ranked Bees taking part in the fourth playoff matchup this week between Liverpool and B’ville sides, counting field hockey, boys soccer and football semifinals that happen before these girls duel in Fulton.
