Quite unlike the 2016 season, the Liverpool boys soccer team does not carry heavy expectations into the Section III Class AA playoffs, in part because earning the sectional title a year ago took a lot of pressure off.
Yet the Warriors appear to be peaking at just the right time, for it earned its most satisfying win of the regular season last Thursday night when it knocked off state Class AA no. 8-ranked Baldwinsville 1-0.
This win was satisfying on many levels. First, it was payback for the Bees thumping Liverpool 5-1 in late September at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium. It also ruined any hopes the Bees had of catching state no. 2-ranked Fayetteville-Manlius atop the Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division standings.
Defensively, the Warriors closed down the lanes that opened so easily for B’ville’s attackers in their first meeting. And that task got more urgent after Ben Root scored off a feed from Caleb Munski to put Liverpool in front.
That’s all the Warriors would get, as B’ville goalie Donovan Moore made nine saves. The Bees could not capitalize on this work, though, held to six shots, all stopped by Ben White.
What made all of this stunning was that Liverpool had faced F-M two nights earlier at Swan Pond where the defense held up to the Hornets for a while, but still took a 3-0 defeat to the Hornets.
F-M was coming off its first loss of the season to B’ville 3-1 on Oct. 7, and when Liverpool kept the game 0-0 throughout the first half, there was concern that the Warriors could beat them, too.
All of that changed in the second half, though, as the Hornets took over, putting three shots in the net within a span of six minutes.
The onrush began with Nate Donella’s goal, assisted by Noah Craig. Within four minutes, it was 2-0 thanks to a goal by Grant Olick-Sutphen where, again, Craig earned the assist. And and it took only 90 more seconds to stretch out the margin further as Olick-Sutphen’s well-timed pass led Cole Teelin to score.
That same night, Cicero-North Syracuse had to visit Baldwinsville, whom it played to a 0-0 draw late in September. Here, though, the Bees did get on the board and beat the Northstars 2-0.
Through most of the first half, the long deadlock between C-NS and B’ville remained, but the bees’ Jack Todora broke it thanks to his unassisted goal in the 28th minute.
Thanks to that solid Northstars defense, B’ville only had a handful of opportunities, but that was all it required as Brandon Mimas earned his 22nd goal of the season with 16:58 left, Josh Price earning the assist. C-NS took five shots, all stopped by Donovan Moore.
While B’ville lost at Liverpool, C-NS climbed back to the .500 mark (7-7-2), blanking Henninger in yet another 2-0 decision. One goal in each half proved enough as Carter Jackson and Brady Engle converted, the Northstars holding the Black Knights to just three shots.
When the sectional AA playoffs get underway, C-NS, as the no. 4 seed, has a rematch with Henninger, the no. 5 seed, in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at the Gillette Road complex, while no. 3 seed Liverpool meets no. 6 seed CBA on Thursday night.
