Two games, 200 minutes of head-to-head action, four overtime periods where a single goal could end matters – and absolutely nothing separated the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys soccer teams when it was all done.
What had started with a 1-1 draw on Sept. 13 at Gillette Road continued three weeks later at LHS Stadium, only here neither team could get on the board as the Warriors and Northstars ended up 0-0.
Close contests between these two neighbors and rivals are a given, but at least someone usually wins. Here, neither did, as through two halves and 20 minutes of sudden-death OT everything got turned away.
The experienced defenders on Liverpool’s side, including Amko Salihovic, Austin Aiello, Caleb Munski and Alexs Dzodic, proved so effective that Ben Bowers only had to make three saves.
C-NS was just as stingy, with back-line starters Anthony Pauli, Britton Scorzelli and Peter Civello halting everything from runs to set pieces as Kevin Czuba earned five saves.
Perhaps the result wasn’t surprising, given the many struggles C-NS and Liverpool were going through, falling out of the CNY Counties League regular-season race as Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius pulled away.
C-NS would return to Gillette Thursday, glad to face last-place Corcoran, and got a 3-0 shutout over the Cougars. Only up by one at halftime, the Northstars, who took 21 shots overall, pulled clear thanks to Nolan Byrnes, who led with one goal and one assist as Anthony Esce and Zack Williamson also scored. Brady Scorzelli picked up an assist.
Liverpool, meanwhile, welcomed 1-11 West Genesee, a team it beat 3-1 in Camillus back on Sept. 14. Here, the margin was the same, but the struggle to beat the Wildcats in a 2-0 decision proved greater.
Neither team got on the board in the first half, with the Warriors unable to get anything past WG goalies David Wenner and Peter Bowman, who would combine for 10 saves.
However, Marques Wright changed things in the second half, not only scoring a goal, but earning an assist on Ben Root’s tally as Ian Zingaro assisted on Wright’s goal. Earning its second shutout of the week, Liverpool held the Wildcats to two shots.
During the last week of the regular season, Liverpool (7-3-4) faces Corcoran Tuesday and hosts Fayetteville-Manlius on Friday night, while C-NS goes to Nottingham Tuesday before hosting Baldwinsville two nights later.
