Area high school girls soccer in 2023 will feature all kinds of competition between both the large and small-school sides on a nearly weekly basis.
For the defending girls Class AA champions from Fayetteville-Manlius, a key early-season win was attained last Wednesday night when it battled both Baldwinsville and the heat, but was able to win 2-1 in overtimel.
The Bees were 2-0 following a win at its own season-opening Ava Wood Memorial Tournament a week earlier, and would solve the Hornets’ defense once thanks to Jean Neville’s goal.
Yet Morgan Goodman made sure her side finished on top, netting the Hornets’ only goal in regulation off a feed frm Macey Davey and then, in overtime, converting a decisive penalty kick. Mackenzie Murphy, in goal, recorded seven saves.
East Syracuse Minoa finds itself with F-M in Class AA, which makes for quite a challenge even though it no longer has to worry about getting through New Hartford, who prevailed in each of the last two sectional Class A finals and won a state title in 2022.
In its season opener Sept. 1 at West Genesee, the Spartans found itself settling for a 0-0 draw with the Wildcats. Juliana Orcutt stopped all eight shots she faced, while none of ESM’s seven attempts made it past Jenna Orr or Julia Poissant.
Meanwhile, Jamesville-DeWitt will challenge F-M this week, this following an opening stretch where it was set to meet two Class AAA sides, Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool,
but only played the Northstars since excessive heat forced a postponement of last Thursday’s game with the Warriors.
First, though, the Red Rams polished off a 3-0 shutout of Oswego on Aug. 31, an impressive season opener where Brooke Bort, Noor El-Zammar and Hannah Anderson all produced goals and Meghan Kenna contributed an assist.
Then J-D took on C-NS and was close all the way, only to take a 1-0 defeat when Emilee Rio netted the game’s only goal. Emily Bulone and Lindsay Parker combined for five saves, but the Rams managed just three shots overall.
As it turned out, J-D and F-M both played on Saturday – and both lost to powerful downstate programs.
In the Hall of Fame Tournament at Niskayuna, J-D fell to North Rockland and Long Island’s Southside in 2-0 decisions, while F-M fell to Monroe-Woodbury by that same margin after weather forced a cancellation of a game against Shaker.
After a second-place finish in Baldwinsville’s Ava Wood Memorial Tournament on Aug. 29-30, Christian Brothers Academy got off to a strong start in league play last Tuesday night against Mexico at Alibrandi Stadium.
The Brothers blanked the Tigers 3-0, with those three goals coming from three different players – Lauren Zollo, Emma Hill and Francesco Canzano. Carleigh Morgia and Nevaeh Bacheyle earned assists, and despite Mexico’s 10 shots, goalie Cara Macaluso stopped all of them.
Both Bishop Grimes and Manlius Pebble Hill struggled in their season openers last Tuesday, the Cobras falling 3-0 to Fabius-Pompey as Laurel Yard, McKenna Johnosn and Rebekah Frazee got the goals and Payton Taylor had two assists.
As for MPH, at least it got on the board in a 9-1 loss to Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, but its first-half goal was drowned out in a Rebels second-half surge. Leslie Lewis (three goals) and Katelyn Shick (two goals, three assists) led APW.
In Thursday’s 3-0 defeat to Faith Heritage, MPH saw Lauryn Lape put in two of the Saints’ three goals, the other going to Francesca Peplinski as Alaina Peplinski earned two assists.
