ONONDAGA COUNTY – Even with new faces on the sideline and new focal points on the field, the Fayetteville-Manlius boys soccer team remains the standard everyone else in the area Class AA ranks must match.
Corey Fonseca was assigned to take over the coaching duties upon the retirement of Jeff Hammond, who in his last season led the Hornets to the state final four.
Also, Nino Pagano was gone, joining his brother, Cheech, at Syracuse University and, at least in theory, leaving behind an impossible scoring void to fill.
Over at East Syracuse Minoa, its own sectional and regional titles in 2021 were spearheaded by the likes of Todd Durantini, who had also graduated.
When F-M and ESM met on Sept. 3 at Spartan Stadium, it was the Hornets continuing to display a potent attack during a 4-2 victory over the Spartans.
Proving that it still had plenty on hand despite Durantini’s departure, ESM got goals from Anel Suljic and Stephen Winans, with Joel Alvarez and Parker Gamble earning assists.
F-M would overcome eight saves by Spartans goalie Reide Scolaro by having Nick Donnelly score twice, his fourth and fifth goals of the young season, while James Price and Jacob Mohammed also had goals.
When F-M opened Sept. 1 at Henninger, the Hornets unloaded again, bashing the Black Knights 6-1 as two seniors long in Pogano’s shadow finally emerged.
Donnelly was one of them, burning Henninger three times to earn a hat trick as Evan Newton chimed in with a pair of goals. Evan Terreri had the other goal and Tyler Goodman picked up an assist.
Great as all this was, when F-M opened its league schedule against visiting Cicero-North Syracuse last Wednesday night, it could only manage a 1-1 draw with the Northstars.
They were scoreless through the first half before the Hornets moved out in front with Sam Duncanson’s goal in the 50th minute, assisted by Terreri. However, C-NS responded when Jake Trubia put in the tying tally.
From there, neither side could net a game-winner in the rest of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, Jake Lavelle recording 11 saves to nine saves for Northstars counterpart Wyatt Dupell.
What proved even tougher was going to West Genesee Friday and taking a 2-1 defeat to the Wildcats, a team F-M had rarely lost to in years past.
They played to a 1-1 first-half tie, WG converting first on Tyler Wavercak’s goal, the Hornets answering before halftime. Then, just six minutes into the second half, Anthony Pontello got the
Wildcats back in front, and its defense prevented F-M from forcing it to overtime.
ESM, meanwhile, rebounded well from the F-M defeat, topping PSLA-Fowler 2-0 in last Tuesday’s SCAC Empire division opener.
Jackson Tedesco was the centerpiece of the Spartans’ attack, netting one goal and assisting on the other, by Behudin Malkic. Alvarez earned the assist on Tedesco’s tally and ESM’s defense held the Falcons to a single shot all night.
Even more important was what the Spartans did Thursday night, in the rematch of last year’s sectional Class A final against Central Square, where ESM put away the Redhawks in another 2-0 decision.
Alvarez proved a central figure, not only netting a goal, but earning the assist when Tedesco found the net. And that was enough thanks to a stingy Spartans defense that kept Central Square quiet, with all five of the Redhawks’ shots stopped by Reide Scolaro.
