ONONDAGA COUNTY – Having endured all kinds of ups and downs in early September, area girls soccer teams tried to settle down against a string of league foes.
For the most part, Fayetteville-Manlius had sidestepped these extremes and started 3-1. During a weekend trip to the Albany area Sept. 11-12, the Hornets had split those two games.
First, F-M beat Niskayuna 3-1, all but carried to a victory by Alora Miller, who netted two goals and assisted on Sophia Leonard’s tally. A day later, the Hornets took its first loss, falling to Guilderland 3-0.
This was the lead-up to last Wednesday’s game against Baldwinsville, where again strong defense pushed the Hornets most of the way as it defeated the Bees 1-0.
Unlike its Sept. 8 game with East Syracuse Minoa where it waited until late in the second overtime to score, F-M went out in front late in the first half thanks to a 26th minute goal by Leonard, unassisted.
For the remaining 50-plus minutes, the Hornets protected that slim margin. Most of the night, F-M’s back-line players broke up B’ville’s attacks, with goalie Maya Ali only having to make three saves.
Heading to the Wright National Soccer Complex in Oneonta, F-M won last Saturday 5-1 over Athens (Pennsylvania), pulling clear in the second half with five goals from five different players – Leonard, Sydney Green, Ryann Dauksza, Ashley Seidberg and Lexi Caron.
A 9-0 romp over Elmira followed on Sunday with Lauren Clark getting a three-goal hat trick, plus two assists. Caron and Una Vlasak also converted twice, with Alora Miller and Kendall Clark each getting one goal and one assist.
Jamesville-DeWitt had recorded a dramatic 2-1 win over Baldwinsville on Sept. 10, fueled by Megan Baker’s pair of goals, including a decisive penalty kick early in the second half.
It proved far easier for the Red Rams in last Tuesday’s game at Auburn, with the Red Rams bashing the Maroons 7-0 led by Baker and Brooke Bort.
With three goals and one assist, Bort got a hat trick to match the production of Baker, who scored twice and got two assists. Emma Deehan and Harmony Russell had the other goals, with Sydney Balotin getting a pair of assists and Amber Bates adding an assist.
This happened as East Syracuse Minoa, coming off back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Fayetteville-Manlius and Liverpool, roared back to form by routing Syracuse United 8-0.
Jazzel Meikleham earned the first three-goal hat trick of her varsity career, with support from Leah Rehm, who had two goals and two assists. Angelina Polcaro had a goal and three assists as Natalie Peterson and Jessica Griffith also converted. Ashley Praxi and Halie Amodio earned assists.
Even more important to the Spartans was getting a 1-0 victory at Central Square two nights later. Constantly on the attack, ESM saw Redhawks goalie Samantha Haley earn 23 saves, but finally broke through when Polcaro scored in the second half, asissted by Miekleham.
Christian Brothers Academy had lost, 4-1, to Westhill on Sept. 9, but turned that result around in last Monday’s game against Phoenix, shutting out the Firebirds 4-0 before a 5-1 defeat to West Genesee on Saturday afternoon.
Two other area private schools went head-to-head last Tuesday, and Bishop Grimes got the best of it, outscoring Manlius-Pebble Hill in a 6-2 victory over the Trojans.
Kate Murphy gave the Cobras a three-goal hat trick, helped by goals from Jenna Sloan, Loyi Mugushu and Ella Riley. Chloe Spencer and Abby Docos joined Mugushu and Sloan in the assist column/
MPH’s goals came from Katherine Mezzalingua and Abby Hinshaw. The Trojans lost, 7-3, to Phoenix on Saturday, though Mezzalingua scored twice and assisted on a Hinshaw goal.
