Forgive the Liverpool girls soccer team if its thoughts were elsewhere throughout much of its 3-0 defeat to Baldwinsville in last Saturday’s Section III Class AA championship game at SUNY-Cortland.
It wasn’t because the Warriors lacked mental strength or fortitude, plenty of which it had shown throughout this season and through last year’s sectional title run that included a penalty-kicks win over B’ville in this same sectional title game.
The reason for the distraction was seeing a cornerstone of the team, senior midfielder Bri Kovarik, go down to a serious injury less than four minutes into the game, an unexpected blow from which Liverpool could not recover.
To put Kovarik’s value in perspective, she had scored or assisted on all four of the Warriors’ goals in its 4-2 sectional semifinal win over Rome Free Academy. Her speed and skill, when combined with the finishing ability of her sister, Carli Kovarik, made Liverpool dangerous to any opponent, even one as strong as B’ville.
Then, early in the sectional final, Bri Kovarik made a run toward Bees goalie Meghan Wilson, parked out well in front of her net, but inside the 18-yard box. Kovarik and Wilson collided.
However, Wilson got up, while Kovarik was unable to move her leg. Ultimately, the diagnosis was a fractured shin, and tending to her required a stretcher and ambulance, delaying the game for more than 20 minutes.
Once things resumed, Liverpool did not let up in its effort, but the front line found it difficult to adjust, while B’ville waited for the right moments to strike.
In the 22nd minute, Kelsey DeLola, working the ball on the left side, found Simone Neivel sprinting up the middle. With a perfectly timed pass, DeLola got it to Neivel, who in the clear shot it past Megan Merrifield inside the right post to put B’ville up 1-0.
And that’s where it stayed deep into the second half, a tribute to the efforts of Divya Duraisamy, Emily Dorr, Natalie Tauro, Gabby Swan and other defenders that frustrated the Bees until the game’s closing stages.
But with 10:52 left, DeLola delivered a corner kick to the middle, where Katie Pascale waited until Merrifield stepped forward and then headed it past her.
Even with a 2-0 lead, Pascale wasn’t done, as with 5:41 to play another corner kick bounced around the 18-yard box until Pascale powered it home for the final goal of the night
