What’s obvious through the first round of Salt City Athletic Conference field hockey competition is how close it is between Cicero-North Syracuse and the other top two contenders, Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius.
Each game among these teams from Sept. 10 through 17 went to overtime, and two ended in ties, concluding in last Monday’s match where the Northstars and Hornets finished 1-1.
Katie Thies scored in the first half to pull C-NS in front, but for the rest of the game the F-M defense withstood all the Northstars threw at them, Catherine Barr recording seven saves.
That work was rewarded, to a degree, when Libbie Kilpatrick’s second-half goal pulled the Hornets even. Then neither team could break that tie in the pair of seven-on-seven overtime periods.
With the first cycle of league games done, C-NS would rest for a week before facing East Syracuse Minoa on Monday at Bragman Stadium, the first of three games in five days that includes battles with Whitesboro and Cortland.
Liverpool still finds itself chasing the other three league sides, as it found out when it went to Baldwinsville last Monday and took a 3-0 defeat to the Bees.
Though Abbie Bragan made seven saves, she couldn’t keep the Bees from getting one goal and one assist apiece from Emma Brushingham and Mackenzie Wodka, with Erika Van Slyke earning the other goal. None of the Warriors’ six shots got past B’ville goalie Hailey Boda.
Two days later, Liverpool went on the road to face Weedsport, winners of seven in a row, and gave those other Warriors its first blemish of the season, pulling out a 1-1 draw.
Olivia Hayden’s goal broke Liverpool out of its offensive slump, countering Libby Nemec’s tally for Weedsport, and the defense was inspired, limiting Weedsport’s chance as Bragan only had to make six saves through regulation and seven-on-seven overtime.
Liverpool would have its own match with F-M Monday and host Cazenovia on Wednesday night. After a week to rest, C-NS would return Monday hosting East Syracuse Minoa before going to Cortland Wednesday and welcoming Whitesboro to Bragman Stadium Friday night.
