ONONDAGA COUNTY – All indications going into last Tuesday’s game at Bragman Stadium was that the Liverpool boys lacrosse team had a major advantage over its rivals from Cicero-North Syracuse.
Since Mason Ciciarelli was lost for the season with a torn ACL, the Northstars had not won, and now it was facing an LHS side that beat them 12-10 in April even when Ciciarelli was there, getting two goals and an assist.
Again, though, the neighborhood rivalry proved close – all the way to the final horn, in fact, as Liverpool had to hang on to turn back C-NS 11-10.
Here, no one on Liverpool’s defense could contain Northstars forward Ian Leahey, who led both sides with six goals, more than half his team’s output.
Helped by Elijah Martin’s two goals and two assists, plus two goals from Donovan Chaney, C-NS offered a direct challenge, with Leyton Sullivan stopping 17 of the 28 shots he faced.
Still, Liverpool pulled through anchored by Joe Sacco’s two goals and four assists. Often, his passes went to Dom Osbeck, who scored four more times.
Brady Michaud and Aaron Clouthier also had two-goal outings, while Owen Michaud tacked on a goal and each of Owen Salanger’s 11 saves proved important.
Another game for Liverpool on Thursday brought another close result – only this time it was on the wrong side of it as it fell 5-4 to Fayetteville-Manlius at LHS Stadium.
This same F-M side which had netted 14 goals in a win over West Genesee earlier in the week was contained most of the way and shut out in the fourth quarter.
A lot of this was a tribute to the work of Salanger, who piled up 21 saves, but watched as his teammates were blanked in the third quarter, the Hornets scoring twice to break out of a 3-3 tie.
In fact, only Clouthier, with three goals, and Sacco, with one goal, found the net for the hosts, with assists credited to Osbeck and Owen Michaud.
Liverpool’s regular-season concludes this Tuesday against Jamesville-DeWitt, a day before C-NS hosts West Genesee.
