In order to end a 13-year wait for a Section III Class AA championship, the Liverpool boys soccer team resorted to the simplest formula possible – keep the other side from finding the net.
The Warriors’ defense was the featured attraction as it defeated top seed Fayetteville-Manlius 1-0 in Tuesday night’s sectional title game at Baldwinsville’s Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
“Words can’t describe it,” said senior defender Caleb Munski. “It was a team effort. Everyone worked hard to get this done.”
Junior goalkeeper Ben Bowers said the win was as much for long-time head coach Doug Nunn and the rest of his staff, and for previous Liverpool team that didn’t get this far.
Of all the possible opponents top-seeded F-M could have drawn for the sectional final, Liverpool was the toughest, based on what happened in the regular season.
Twice, the Warriors had faced the Hornets, and F-M didn’t score a goal on either occasion, Liverpool earning a 0-0 draw in late September at Swan Pond and prevailing 1-0 in the Oct. 13 rematch at LHS Stadium.
Thus, the Hornets’ primary objective was to get on the board at least once, preferably at an early point in the game, and proceed from there.
Again, Liverpool, and its defense, made that impossible. Through the game’s first 30 minutes, F-M had most of the possession time and a majority of the scoring chance, and they all got turned back.
The Warriors’ attacks were more infrequent, but in the process they did find gaps that could get exploited at other times – such as in the 31st minute.
From midfield, A.J. Sinclair lobbed a long pass to Marquis Wright on the right wing. From 20 yards out, and at a tough angle, Wright lobbed a shot past a charging Mike Baril that crashed into the net and put Liverpool in front.
Trailing again to the Warriors, F-M pushed hard until intermission, with Josh Mahr hitting a hard shot inches wide in the final minute. Again, Liverpool had the edge, and 40 more minutes to hang on to it.
By now, though, the Warriors had mastered its defensive approach. Whenever F-M had the ball in Liverpool’s end, it would have to navigate through two lines of resistance of varying size and shape.
The constant presences, though, included Munski, Austin Aiello and Amko Salihovic, along with Sinclair, whose constant marking of players like Mahr drew wide praise from his teammates.
Midway through the second half, Baril had a sliding stop to rob Sinclair of an insurance goal, and from there, the Hornets’ pressure picked up in the homestretch, testing Liverpool’s back line once more.
But just like they did in September, and again in October, the Warriors, on this first night of November, turned everything back, getting a third shutout in as many months – and a long-awaited sectional title.
On Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Fulton, Liverpool will face Section II champion Bethlehem in the AA regional final, right before the girls regional game against Niskayuna. The winner between the Warriors and Eagles advances to the Nov. 12-13 state final four at Middletown High School.
