A 5-3 record in the first half of the regular season was fine for the Bishop Ludden boys soccer team, but it did not suggest that a championship push was imminent.
Or at least that wasn’t the case until last Thursday’s game at Fabius-Pompey, when the Gaelic Knights put together an inspired effort and stunned the Falcons 1-0 in overtime.
Not only was Fabius-Pompey undefeated at 9-0, it held the no. 2 state Class D ranking, boasting an offense that was averaging more than four goals per game, with Kewan Trotman (18 goals) leading the way.
That didn’t faze Ludden, who throughout this night positioned itself well on defense and held the Falcons to eight shots, all of which were stopped by Josh Bianchi.
When the game bled into OT, the Gaelic Knights pushed and, just before the first extra period ended, earned a corner kick. Michael Gaughan crossed and the ball rebounded out to Rob Sexton, who pushed it past F-P goalie Tristain Taylor for the game-winner.
Before this, Ludden saw its offense break out in last Monday’s 5-0 win over Onondaga, with the duo of Gaughan and Connor Catalano proving quite prolific for the Gaelic Knights.
Three different times, Catalano found the net, his hat trick helped by Gaughan, who got three assists. Other goals went to Liam Casey and Charles Colella, with Axel Rivera also getting an assist.
The upset of Fabius-Pompey may have taken a toll on Ludden because, a day later, it lost, 5-0, to Holy Cross Academy, undone by a first-half blitz by HCA that included three goals from Eunsoo Kang.
West Genesee was roughed up last Tuesday by state Class AA no. 6-ranked Liverpool 5-0. Winning its eighth in a row, the Warriors broke out in the second half with four goals as Jake Zona scored twice and Jack Pento got two assists.
Yet when the Wildcats went to Swan Pond on Friday to face Fayetteville-Manlius, it again beat the Hornets 2-1, building upon the 3-2 overtime it had when it hosted F-M on Sept. 4.
This one didn’t go beyond regulation, though. Ryan Washo and Jackson Craig each scored in the first half, with assists going to Ricky Francisco and Carter Turton.
Up 2-0 at halftime, WG would absorb a goal by Riley Burke in the late stages, but hang on thanks to an improved defense and nine saves from Zach Bolton.
Westhill had learned that getting a third consecutive Section III Class B title might prove even more difficult than the previous two.
Going to Hyatt Stadium last Monday to face Skaneateles, the Warriors found itself in a defensive battle that stretched through most of regulation until a single mistake made the difference in a 1-0 defeat to the Lakers.
They were scoreless in the first half, and through the first 20 minutes of the second half, too In the 61st minute, though, the whole game changed. A Westhill foul inside the 18-yard box set up a penalty kick that the Lakers’ Sam Gajdo converted, the only goal for either side.
Westhill would recover a day later, hammering Jordan-Elbridge 8-0 as Eamon McPeak got three assists and Adam Herne scored twice, with single goals going to Bo BenYehuda, Charlie Bolesh, D.J. Caloia, Ryan Rolince, Kyle Puglisi and Andrew Centore. Jack Grooms, Reilly Sizing and David McPeak joined Puglisi with single assists.
Quickly moving on from this game, J-E defeated Onondaga 3-2 on Friday afternoon, with Mike Meyer landing a goal and assisting on the Eagles’ other goals by Deacon Hill and Kevin Chiaramonte.
Then, a day later, J-E blanked Faith Heritage 3-0, Meyer again at the forefront as, again, he had a goal and two assists, his passes setting up chances that Chiaramonte and Riordan Parker converted.
Marcellus had seen Westhill lose 1-0 at Christian Brothers Academy earlier this season, but when it went to Alibrandi Stadium last Tuesday the Mustangs lost 4-0 to those same Brothers.
Under constant attack, Dan Balman made 14 saves, but CBA’s Matt Potenza led his side to a 3-0 halftime lead and eventually scored three times for the hat trick, Jack Harrigan getting the other goal.
Two days later, the Mustangs routed Mexico 5-1, improving its overall record to 6-4 with two full weeks left in the regular season.
