ONONDAGA COUNTY – For all of the good and all of the solid performances it had put together this fall, the Fayetteville-Manlius field hockey team still hadn’t toppled either of the top two sides in the area Class A ranks.
Now the Hornets would try again, starting last Thursday with its match against undefeated Cicero-North Syracuse, against whom it played close for a while in their first encounter before a 5-1 defeat.
The rematch was on its home turf, and for the entire first half, plus much of the third quarter, F-M did a superb job on defense, keeping the Northstars off the board.
Yet F-M could rarely put together an attack of its own, increasing the pressure on the defense – which broke when C-NS converted on a penalty corner just before the third quarter ended.
Two more quick goals followed and the Hornets lost, 3-0, to the Northstars, who overcame Kaleigh Hamilton’s nine saves as Addie Esce scored twice and Shannon Brown had the other goal.
F-M tuned up by scoring twice in each of the first three quarters of last Monday’s game against Whitesboro and breezing to a 6-0 victory.
Sarah Porter led the way with her three-goal hat trick, helped by Ella Herber, Carine Smith and Sophia Lobo, each of whom had single goals, and Carlye Bryant, who got an assist.
Back on Monday night, East Syracuse Minoa, with a 5-5-1 record, made up the rest of its game started Sept. 19 against Liverpool but halted to lightning and heavy rain.
Trailing 1-0 when the game was stopped, the Spartans did all it could to stay close, Mollie Comstock recording 11 saves, but saw the Warriors add a goal and prevail 2-0, having seen Alexis McGregeor and Katia Flavin put in the goals.