ONONDAGA COUNTY – A 9-0 start had propelled the Cicero-North Syracuse girls soccer team all the way up to no. 6 in the first state Class AA rankings of the season, not to mention the status of favorite for Section III honors.
Part of that terrific start was built upon a 4-1 romp the Northstars had over Liverpool when the two rivals first met up Sept 8 at Bragman Stadium.
But the rematch exactly three weeks later proved far different as C-NS found itself unable to assert its will and, pushed to overtime for the first time all season, had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Having gone 4-1 since that first meeting with the Northstars, Liverpool had gained plenty of confidence in its all-around game, something C-NS soon found out about.
In particular, the Warriors’ defense mostly kept things quiet, only surrendering a goal to McKenna Slate, assisted by Emilee Rio.
Liverpool would break through when Jailyn Parrotte, taking a pass from Sienna Villa, put one past Avery Byrnes, one of just three direct shots the Warriors took all night.
With the Warriors limiting C-NS to four shots, that tie would persist through 20 full minutes of overtime, adding a bit more suspense to what would happen the rest of the regular season.
That, for the Northstars, started with a visit from second-place West Genesee last Saturday, another rematch of an earlier C-NS victory, that one a 3-0 decision in Camillus on Sept. 15.
The Wildcats would get much closer in the rematch, turning back most of C-NS’s opportunities. However, Elyssia Germain’s goal held up the rest of the way and the Northstars claimed a 1-0 victory, with WG taking seven shots but Avery Byrnes stopping all of them.
As that went on, Liverpool saw two possible games, against Fulton and Central Square, postponed on the weekend, meaning it would return on Monday when it faced West Genesee. Both the Warriors and Northstars would clash with Fayetteville-Manlius, too.
