Before it mounted its latest challenge against the Class AA hierarchy, the West Genesee boys soccer team opened its season against East Syracuse Minoa on Sept. 1 and had quite an all-around effort to beat the Spartans 2-0.
For more than a half, ESM kept it scoreless, yet also was frustrated in its multiple attacks as WG goalie David Wenner recorded 12 saves. Meanwhile, the Spartans got beat twice in the second half as Manuel Garcia-Flores and Ricky Francisco scored for the Wildcats and Griffin Dombroske added an assist.
Now, within the Salt City Atlantic Conference Metro division, WG looked for a breakthrough against visiting Cicero-North Syracuse last Tuesday night, but instead was on the wrong end of a 2-1 overtime decision.
Drawing a foul inside the 18-yard box, WG went up 1-0 in the first half when Francisco converted a penalty kick. But C-NS tied it in the 25th minute with Anthony Esce’s goal, and they stayed tied through the rest of regulation.
Despite a rash of chances to go in front, the Northstars constantly got foiled by Wenner, who made 13 saves. However, in the first OT period, Bryant Perdomo pushed one past Wenner to give C-NS the win.
WG lost again on Thursday as it fell to Nottingham 2-0. Both of those goals came in the first half as Nyabenda Mukasi and Diamond Weah converted, and the Bulldogs preserved that lead with a defense that constantly frustrated the Wildcats as Ben Ashby made six saves. Wenner finished with eight saves.
Bishop Ludden, who got off to a 2-0 start, cooled off a bit on Sept. 2, though it came against a Class AA opponent in a 3-1 defeat to Rome Free Academy. Lucas Scutari’s goal kept the game 1-1 going into halftime, but the Black Knights took charge late.
Patrick Balong scored twice on RFA’s side, with Zach Wilbert getting the other goal and assisting on one of Scutari’s scoring plays. Ludden goalie Sean Merrill prevented further damage, recording 10 saves.
Then Ludden entered OHSL Patriot division play last Wednesday and roared past Onondaga 6-0. Four of those goals came in a decisive first half and, by game’s end, six different players had converted.
Scutari notched one goal and one assist, with Liam Casey, Liam Mahar, Cole Reale, Connor Catalano and Jim McGarvey also taking turns converting. Liam Katko, Charles Colella and Michael Gaughan had one assist apiece.
A day later, Ludden visited varsity newcomer Utica Academy of Science, a charter school similar to the one in Syracuse and also nicknamed the Atoms. The Gaelic Knights prevailed, 3-1, building a 2-0 edge by halftime and getting goals from Rob Sexton, Lucas Scutari and Antonio Scutari, with Gaughan and Liam Kaminski earning assists.
Marcellus got its season underway before hitting the Labor Day weekend, going to a tournament in Newark (Section V) and winning it.
Against host Newark in the Aug. 31 opening round, the Mustangs prevailed 4-1, establishing that margin by racing to a 3-0 halftime lead. Con Clarke, with two goals, and David Bosak, with one goal and one assist, led the charge as Shawn Manke added a goal. Jack O’Hara picked up an assist.
Then, in the finals two days later, Marcellus beat Marion 3-0, securing the first-place trophy by scoring once in the first half and twice more after intermission. Andrew Fragnito broke through with two goals as Manke converted again, with Brendan Shanahan tacking on an assist.
All of this led to a tough league opener last Tuesday night at Cazenovia, but the Mustangs proved up to it, rallying in the second half to beat the Lakers 2-1.
Trey Schug’s goal in the 12th minute, off a corner kick from Ryan Modzeleski, put Cazenovia in front. And it stayed that way until the midway point of the second half, when Marcellus pulled even and, eight minutes later, got in front thanks to goals by Dakota Baker and Hugh White. The Mustangs’ defense made that slim lead stick as Sam Hayduke finished with nine saves.
Solvay went to CBA last Tuesday night and got blitzed in the first half of a 5-1 loss, with the Brothers scoring all of its goals in the first half, two of them by Tommy Daviau. Caden Salvagni did make 15 saves, and the Bearcats broke up the shutout when Shhab Obadi scored off a feed from Pavel Buko.
Jordan-Elbridge took a 3-0 defeat to Mexico on Thursday night, the Eagles’ defense constantly bugged by its inability to contain the Tigers’ Dustin Barck, who scored twice in the first half and again in the second half to gain a hat trick.
