Fueled by disappointment earlier in the week against one neighbor, the Cicero-North Syracuse field hockey team made sure that its other neighbors from Liverpool felt that pain, too.
The first of two regular-season encounters between the Northstars and Warriors at LHS Stadium last Wednesday night was controlled from the outset by C-NS, who made its way to a 3-0 victory.
So much of what happened here had to do with what took place at Bragman Stadium two nights earlier. Ever since it took a defeat to Baldwinsville in last fall’s Section III Class A championship match, C-NS anxiously waited to take on the Bees.
And when they finally did so, the Northstars led deep into regulation, but could not hold on as B’ville came back and prevailed 2-1 in overtime.
C-NS had started its season 4-0, while B’ville was 3-1, its lone defeat coming to 2017 state Class B finalist Vestal. With so many players back on both sides, familiarity produced a long early stalemate.
The Northstars’ back line of Anna Melfi, Emily Kuehn and Mina Erickson interrupted most of the Bees’ runs, and neither team had a penalty corner for more than 24 minutes.
Yet C-NS used a penalty corner in the last minute of the first half to go in front, 1-0, as a rebound of a shot came right to Jamie Snyder’s stick, and she put it past B’ville goalie Hailey Boda.
Through much of the second half, the Northstars remained impressive on both ends, nearly adding to its margin, but unable to do so, often stymied by Boda, who accumulated 13 saves.
With 7:37 left in regulation, an attack on the right side led to Erika Van Slyke putting in the tying goal, assisted by Mackenzie Wodka, which sent the game to a seven-on-seven OT session.
Less than four minutes into the extra period, the Bees found room to attack, and a series of passes, the last of them by Olivia Wachob, set up Emma Brushingham to put in the game-winner.
All of this put C-NS in an angry mood, but it was the sort of anger that led to a high level of play that, on Wednesday, Liverpool simply could not match.
Taking 18 shots to the Warriors’ three, the Northstars scored once in the first half and then pulled away late, seeing Katie Thies, Molly Molchanoff and Vanessa Wilkins earn one goal apiece. Snyder added an assist as C-NS’s defense held Liverpool to three shots.
Before this, , Liverpool, off its first win of the season over Rome Free Academy Sept. 8, could not follow it up at East Syracuse Minoa, where it lost to the Spartans in another 2-1 decision.
Most of the first half went without a goal, but ESM’s Gillianne McCarthy changed that by converting off a feed from Grace Stone 3:30 before intermission.
Early in the second half, the Warriors pulled even thanks to Danielle Wilson’s goal. But with 18:30 left, McCarthy struck again, slipping it past Abbie Brogan with what proved to be the game-winner.
