It turned out to be an open week for the Liverpool boys soccer team, but it was not by design.
A rivalry clash between the Warriors and Cicero-North Syracuse, set for last Wednesday night, was pushed back to Nov. 10, as was a game Saturday against Jamesville-DeWitt and this Wednesday’s match with West Genesee, which will now get played Nov. 14.
At the same time, C-NS saw last Friday’s game at West Genesee pushed back to Nov. 12, making it the regular-season finale.
Still, the Northstars played twice last week against tough Class A competition, ultimately splitting those games.
First, C-NS threatened to hand undefeated East Syracuse Minoa its first defeat of the season before taking a 1-0 overtime loss to the Spartans.
ESM arrived at this game 6-0, and only Liverpool had played them close in a 2-1 decision on Oct. 10. Here, it was C-NS’s defense that kept the outcome in doubt.
Wyatt Dupell, with 10 saves, anchored the Northstars’ back lines, which broke up all the other chances until the first OT period, when the Spartans’ Zach Shufelt netted the game-winner.
Even in defeat, C-NS gained some confidence, which proved useful when, on Saturday, it took on the same Jamesville-DeWitt team that was unable to play against Liverpool.
Here, the Northstars managed to win a close one, 2-1, overcoming Ryan Brazell’s goal for the Red Rams by mostly shutting down what J-D tried to establish.
It was Robert Bateman and Jacob Potter picking up C-NS’s goals, while Tyler Murray earned an assist. Well protected, Dupell only had to make four saves.
The win moved C-NS’s record to 3-6, and it would face Central Square Wednesday, a game substituting for the one it was supposed to have against Baldwinsville on Tuesday before the Bees’ season was cut short by its own COVID-19 cases.
