A trio of area boys soccer teams each earned important victories during a busy final full week of September.
East Syracuse Minoa went to Burnet Park last Tuesday afternoon to face a PSLA-Fowler team whose only loss of the season came to the Spartans late in August.
The rematch ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Falcons going in front thanks to Ahmed Sirat’s goal in the first half, but ESM getting even in the second half when Zach Shufelt converted. Spartans goalie Almedin Smajic finished with nine saves.
ESM quickly got back on track Thursday, handling Auburn 7-0. Seven different players – Sean Belcher, Matt Kenney, Lance Madonna, Christian Moon, Evan deBerjeois, Jacob Longo and Jordan Sanson – had those seven goals, with Spencer Caramanna and Ryan Ladd adding assists.
Then on Saturday, playing the same defending Section III Class A champions from Fulton Jamesville-DeWitt lost to two nights earlier, the Spartans outscored the Red Raiders 6-3.
, Aidan Tedesco, with a pair of goals, led a well-balanced attack as Belcher, Moon, Todd Durantini and Zach Christian also scored, with Madonna, Ladd and Casey McGlynn earning assists.
Bishop Grimes had its own adventures last week, but it was capped by an impressive performance last Saturday as it went to Marcellus and defeated the 9-1, state Class B no. 3-ranked Mustangs 3-1.
The first half decided matters as the Cobras seized a 2-0 advantage. Then it matched the Mustangs in the second half, Byam Mugushu finishing with two goals and Deng Mawien assisting on one of them while also finding the net.
Back on Tuesday, Grimes won a wild battle with Fabius-Pompey, outscoring the Falcons 6-4 as Mugushu earned a three-goal hat trick, with Jack Gutchess scoring twice. Deng Mawien earned two assists and goalkeeper Matt Tarby, aside from his seven saves, also had an assist.
Then Grimes beat LaFayette 4-0 on Thursday afternoon, improving to 5-3, and offering a hint at the effort it would put together at Marcellus a couple of days later.
Manlius-Pebble Hill had its most exciting win of the season last Monday against rival Faith Heritage, prevailing 3-2 in double overtime when Simon Hoke scored with 28 seconds left in the second extra frame.
The Trojans had jumped out 2-0 in the first half thanks to goals by Hoke and Jack Hogan, but the Saints answered in the second half thanks to Riley Jean and Zach Civick finding the net.
Most of the 20 minutes of overtime went unsettled until Hoke, off a feed from Brendan O’Malley, put home the game-winner, handing Faith Heritage its first defeat of the season following a 4-0-1 start.
And the momentum carried over for the Trojans into Wednesday’s game at Onondaga, where MPH spread out its attack and didn’t let up until it had defeated the Tigers 7-0.
Hogan scored twice, as did Alex Fung, with O’Malley getting a goal and two assists. Gopal Neopaney and Ayman El-Hindi also earned goals as Hoke and Evan Cook picked up assists.
Not letting up, MPH (7-2) took on Fabius-Pompey Friday and earned a 2-1 victory over the Falcons, with Hoke and Andrew Warren earning the goals as Neopaney got credit for an assist.
