ONONDAGA COUNTY – If that scoring line – or lack of scoring – between Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys soccer seemed familiar, that’s because it always seems to turn into a defensive battle between these two neighbors and rivals.
So it was again last Tuesday night at LHS Stadium, with regulation and overtime passing without any resolution in a 0-0 draw.
Having earned the no. 12 spot in the first state Class AAA rankings of the season, the Warriors had shut out its first three opponents while starting 2-0-1. That wasn’t the case for the Northstars, who were 2-1-1 but had given up goals in each of its previous four games.
Now they were together – and were greeted by a constant, relentless rain that was present from opening kickoff to the final whistle two hours later.
Through 80 minutes of regulation, both sides gathered up opportunities, yet could not convert. And though the pace picked up in the 20 minutes of overtime, again it was scoreless.
Having blanked opponents for 200 total minutes this fall, Liverpool goalie Jacob McQuatters made seven saves, but C-NS counterpart Niko Servider earned his first shutout by stopping all eight Warriors shots.
With the rematch not until Oct. 10, both sides moved on – C-NS with two more games during the week.
Against West Genesee Thursday at the Gillette Road complex, the Northstars were again kept off the board, the 1-0 defeat a bit of payback for the Wildcats after falling to C-NS in overtime in last year’s Section III Class AA final.
Here, the Northstars again managed a scoreless first half. Yet as it saw all five of its shots turned back, the presure picked up on the other end until Christian Long’s second-half goal decided it, negating Servider’s seven saves.
As for Liverpool, it met Class AA no. 3-ranked East Syracuse Minoa on Saturday afternoon and maintained the shutout streak – even though it resulted in yet another scoreless verdcit.
The 0-0 decision this time was the Warriors’ third draw in five games, meaning it had played 460 minutes of shutout soccer going into Tuesday night’s home test against Nottingham.
C-NS did not feel as good after Saturday’s action, having lost 1-0 to Central Square, a second-half goal winning it for the Redhawks as the Northstars would have tough tests at Jamesvile-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius this week.
