CENTRAL NEW YORK – Never before had the Cicero-North Syracuse field hockey team pulled off a perfect season – and it could only do so in an autumn without Section III or state championships on the line.
Making the best of a pandemic-altered 2020, the Northstars won all 13 games it played, only increasing the pressure it would face as a more “normal” season got underway.
Inthe midst of a busy opening stretch, C-NS would host Rome Free Academy last Tuesday, another team that had an undefeated 2020 season.
It was quickly apparent, though, that the Northstars had the upper hand on this night, dashing out to a 4-0 advantage by halftime on the way to blanking the Black Knights 5-0.
Converting twice in each of the first two periods, C-NS saw Gabby Pauline and Gabby Wagner each pick up two goals, the passes often coming from Chrissy Wagner, who had a goal and three assists. Allison Cole also had an assist.
Prior to that, C-NS had opened with a 5-0 win over Canastota on Sept. 2 at Bragmam Stadium. Two days later, at Camden, the Northstars more than doubled that output and bashed the Blue Devils 11-1.
The Camden game illustrated C-NS’s vast potential, starting with Chrissy Wagner pouring in a career-best five goals as Pauldine converted twice.
Single goals when to Cole, Courtney Jaworski, Shannon Brown and Allyssa Christensen, with Jaworski also picking up an assist.
Then C-NS made its way to Massachusetts for a pair of games, absorbing a 2-1 defeat to Longmeadow that ended its 16-game win streak, the lone goal coming from Pauline.
Liverpool had gone 5-7-1 in 2020, doing quite well against non-league foes, but not winning any of its six games against C-NS, Baldwinsville or Fayetteville-Manlius.
When the Warriors lost, 5-1, to Little Falls in the opening round of the Mounties’ own tournament on Sept. 1, only Mia Berthoff managed to score.
A day later, against perennial power Holland Patent in the consolation game, Liverpool managed its biggest win in years, stunning the Golden Knights in a 3-2 overtime classic.
Jewelyana Daniels’ first-quarter goal got the Warriors on the board. Then Breanna Puccia converted late in regulation, assuring the game would go to seven-on-seven OT.
When that didn’t settle matters, it went into a one-on-one shootout, where Daniels, Berthoff and Gianna Carbone all converted and McKenna Ecker stopped each of the Golden Knights’ chances.
In its league opener last Wednesday, Liverpool again challenged Baldwinsville, but was unable to make much of a dent during a 4-0 defeat to the Bees.
Scoring twice in each half, B’ville was led by Bella Nazdan, who landed a pair of goals, the other tallies going to Julia Schultz and Sydney Huhtala as Schultz also picked up a pair of assists. The Warriors managed just one shot on net.
Playing another non-league game on Saturday, Liverpool handled the Cortland Purple Tigers 3-0, with single goals going to Berthoff, Emma Parker and Caitlyn Guilfoil.
