CENTRAL NEW YORK – Two powerhouse boys soccer programs gathered once again when Skaneateles visited Westhill Thursday night, a great barometer for both sides with the Section III Class B playoffs looming.
Westhill had won their initial meeting 1-0 at Hyatt Stadium in September on Luke Infanti’s goal. A month later, the Warriors again got the best of it, this time in a 2-1 decision that featured both great plays and great drama.
Through most of the first half, the Lakers were on the front foot, applying solid pressure but unable to crack the Warriors’ defense.
Then, late in the half, Luke Gilmartin, from 30 yards out, got some space and ripped a shot from the left side that found the top-right corner of the net, a shot Evan Wingfield had no chance of stopping.
Westhill then doubled its 1-0 margin midway through the second half when, off a deflected corner kick, Ian Centore knuckled a low shot past Wingifeld inside the left post.
All looked comfortable for the Warriors until, with 10 minutes left, a red card to Josh Gratien left the hosts down to 10 players. Attacking hard, the Lakers pulled within one on JohnPhillips’ goal with 4:30 left, but could not pull even.
Both sides had won big on Tuesday, Skaneateles blasting Phoenix 7-0 as Westhill got a 4-0 shutout over Chittenango.
Finally able to break out against the Firebirds, the Lakers’ attack featured a three-goal hat trick from Juan Ramos Carrillo, helped by Wyatt Langford, who scored twice and got an assist.
Single goals went to Phillips and Casey Kenan and John Phillips, with David Petercsak getting two assists. Quinn Cheney, Andrew Falkenburg and Delto Vasquez Perez had one assist apiece.
As for Westhill, it only led Chittenango 1-0 at halftime, but got away from the Bears late led by Gilmartin, who earned a pair of goals. Centore and Emmet Starowicz had the other goals, with Max Cowin and Ben McPeak gaining assists.
Watching all of this was Marcellus, whose shutouts of Westhill and Skaneateles in previous weeks had helped it climb to no. 4 in the state Class B rankings and who would has a rematch with the Lakers in Thursday’s regular-season finale.
Not letting down after reaching this pedestal, the Mustangs defeated Section IV’s Chenango Forks 5-2 last Monday night, led by Ryan Constable’s hat trick.
Constable not only scored three times, he tacked on an assist as Aaron Weber got one goal and one assist. Will Kershaw had the other goal, with Tristan Baker earning an assist, too.
Giving up two goals to Forks, the Mustangs’ defense returned to form in a 2-0 win over Homer on Thursday where Rob Bartolotta and Rory Wiley combined to stop all eight of the Trojans’ shots.
Things were scoreless until the second half, when Marcellus converted twice, one each by Connor Ciota and Landon Kelly as Kershaw got credit for an assist.
Skaneateles did prevail 3-0 over Lansing (Section IV) a day after the Westhill defeat. Jackson Kennedy carried the attack, scoring twice and assisting on Carter Corbett’s goal, while Kenan contributed an assist.
And Marcellus, in its own non-league game against Palmyra-Macedon on Saturday afternoon, earned a 4-0 shutout, with Kelly at the forefront as he earned two goals and an assist, with Constable getting a goal and two assists. Kershaw had a goal and Joe Murray got an assist.
