ONONDAGA COUNTY – Just on the foundation of a pair of early-season wins, the Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse team had gained the upper hand on Liverpool, but both of them continued to struggle against everyone else.
To its credit, the 0-5 Warriors gave itself a great opportunity to break out of that slide in last Tuesday’s game against unbeaten Fayetteville-Manlius, battling until the final period before the Hornets got away and won 10-6.
The Warriors actually led 2-1 through one period and, even though F-M went in front by halftime, the game stayed close and tense, with the Hornets running into a hot goalie in Owen Salanger.
Constantly barraged, Salanger managed 21 saves, only yielding a bit when F-M, clinging to a 7-6 advantage, netted three unanswered goals in the final period.
Aaron Clouthier netted three of Liverpool’s six goals. Joe Sacco, Nick Toscano and Jackson Furr had the other goals as Jalen Graham, Dom Osbeck and Owen Michaud each picked up an assist. For the Hornets, Pratt Reynolds scored three times, with Caden Yancey getting two goals and three assists.
C-NS, meanwhile, got its first up-close look at reigning sectional Class A champion Baldwinsville last Tuesday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium and got humbled 17-6 by the Bees.
Still sore about its lone defeat of the season (a last-second loss to F-M on May 6), B’ville took it out on the Northstars, steadily building a 9-4 lead by halftime and then pulling further away despite Mason Ciciarelli’s four goals and 16 saves from goalies Giovanni Heater and Peter Carter.
Trey Ordway led a balanced Bees attack with three goals and two assists as he was one of four Bees players to earn hat tricks. Luke Hoskin, Mike Marsallo and Colin Socker also scored three times, while Keegan Lynch managed two goals and two assists.
When Liverpool took its second turn against B’ville on Thursday night, it lost 17-3, remaining winless – but only for a couple of more days.
The seven-game skid finally broke last Saturday against Watertown, with Liverpool bolting out to a 10-2 advantage by halftime and going from there to defeating the Cyclones 14-7.
Clouthier scored five times and added four assists, while Sacco picked up three goals and three assists. Michaud got two goals and three assists as Furr had two goals and one assist. Toscano and Osbeck gained the other goals.
