CENTRAL NEW YORK – As it surveyed the Class AA landscape heading into the 2022 season, the West Genesee boys soccer team had to like at least some of what it saw.
No dominant team had emerged as a favorite, leading the Wildcats to believe that its chances for glory were as good as anyone would face.
And those feelings were only reinforced by what happened last Friday night, when WG took on reigning sectional Class AA champion Fayetteville-Manlius and knocked off the Hornets 2-1.
For years, F-M had dominated this particular rivalry, but it had drawn its league opener with Cicero-North Syracuse two nights earlier and, here, would find the Wildcats even tougher.
Tyler Wavercak found the net, giving WG an early lead. F-M pulled back even, 1-1, before halftime, but just six minutes into the second half Anthony Pontello fired home the go-ahead goal.
All this traced back to the Wildcats’ Sept. 1 opener, when it faced Nottingham (the other sectional finalist last fall) and played it to a 0-0 draw.
Through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, neither side was able to convert. Each of the Bulldogs’ eight shots was stopped by WG goalie Anthony Augello as his counterpart, Kipling Korba-Davis, made seven saves.
Playing two days later against Henninger, the Wildcats again got a shutout – and this time was rewarded with a victory, beating the Black Knights 3-0.
Jake McMahon’s pair of goals were all that WG needed, though Christian Long also found the net. Wavercak and James Ginestro had one assist apiece.
A more lopsided 8-0 win over Corcoran followed last Wednesday night, the Wildcats netting four goals in each half and spreading the production around.
Wavercak, Pontello and Tighe McMahon each converted twice, with Wavercak adding two assists. James Mungro and Connor Lambertin had the other goals.
Meanwhile, Jordan-Elbridge, who was 4-11 a season ago, made an immediate impression as Mason Carvey’s hat trick highlighted a 4-1 win over Bishop Grimes on Sept. 1.
Carvey, a senior, helped the Eagles pull away from a 1-0 halftime margin, tacking on a second and third goal as Riley Frigon-King also found the net. Dom Rinaldo and Alex Kunz added assists as goalie Wyatt Mullen recorded seven saves.
A week later, J-E met Newfield, from Section IV, and took a 3-2 defeat.
Bishop Ludden got off to a rough start last Wednesday, falling 4-0 to Tully. Gaelic Knights goalie Trey Dennis made 11 saves, but Ryan Rauber (two goals) and Julian Shay (one goal, one assist) led a well-balanced Black Knights attack.
Turning it around on Friday, Ludden blanked LaFayette/Onondaga 7-0 for its first win of the season. Sam Colella’s three-goal hat trick was augmented by two goals from Roberto Scutari, plus goals from Jack Ruddy (who had two assists) and Jack McMahon.
Solvay had its turn against Bishop Grimes on Sept. 3 and shut out the Cobras 2-0, both goals coming from Sam Gonzalez as Mustafa Alnuami and Oleksandr Matyuik each picked up assists.
Then, against Chittenango last Tuesday, the Bearcats led 2-1 at halftime, but could not hold on to that advantage, ultimately falling to the Bears 6-3.
Sam Chapman did all he could, netting those two early goals and another in the second half for a hat trick. Still, Chittenango rallied behind a deeper attack led by Gavin Karowski (three goals) and Cole Thomas (two goals).
