It had to please fans of the Manlius-Pebble Hill boys soccer team that it could react well to its first adversity of the season, though what followed – specifically, a 3-2 overtime defeat by the Trojans to its neighbors from Bishop Grimes last Friday afternoon, had to cause some real concern.
That game between MPH and Grimes was, by far, the most important win of the Cobras’ season. In both the first and second half, the Trojans would find the net, but Grimes would answer.
Then the Cobras got the game-winner in OT as Connor Alexander nabbed two goals and David Cifonelli earned two assists, with Joe Knapp also finding the net. Simon Hoke and Dan Mezzalingua scored for MPH as Naldo Chen earned an assist. Cobras goalie A.J. Coleman had 10 saves, one more than Trojans counterpart Stew Falso.
MPH had allowed a goal until Sept. 15, when it did so against Cato-Meridian and lost a 1-0 decision. Quickly, MPH went back to the win column last Monday, where it again bent on defense, but still won, 5-2, over the Tully Black Knights.
Having battled its way to a 2-1 halftime lead, the Trojans pulled clear behind the work of Hoke and Josh Hutko, who kept getting open and kept converting as Hutko got a three-goal hat trick and Hoke passed it to him on his way to three assists. Hoke also had a goal, as did Chen, with Ahmad El-Hindi earning an assist.
Grimes, before beating MPH, took another close defeat last Wednesday afternoon, falling 1-0 to Tully. Ethan Fritz made 10 saves for the Cobras, but the Black Knights went ahead in the second half on Evan Rapp’s goal and the hosts held Grimes to just three shots.
East Syracuse Minoa appeared to be headed to a big victory over PSLA-Fowler last Tuesday night, only to have it snatched away in the closing minutes as the Falcons went on to prevail 2-1 over the Spartans in overtime.
Neither side scored in the first half. It remained 0-0 until the 57th minute, when R.J. Bennink lobbed in a shot from the point off an ESM corner kick.
Trying to hang on to that 1-0 lead, the Spartans’ defense worked hard and Ryan Cacace amassed 14 saves, but with six minutes left PSLA-Fowler pulled even and then scored again with 23 seconds left in regulation, the goals coming from Mupenzi Irakiza and Ridwan Sirad. Falcons goalie Buddha Lamichhane had 14 saves.
More tension came in Saturday’s game against Rome Free Academy, but ESM pulled it out, 1-0, in a game that looked head for overtime until, with less than four minutes to play, Scalzo put in the decisive goal. The Black Knights took six shots, all of them stopped by Cacace.
Jamesville-DeWitt rebounded from a 4-1 defeat to Central Square on Sept. 16 by blanking Cortland 2-0 two days later.
A single goal in each half proved enough as Marcus Johnson and Jalique Huntley earned goals, with Jack Botto and Liam O’Malley each getting assists. David Tyler and Alex Carbacio each made four saves during their turns in the net to preserve the shutout.
