ONONDAGA COUNTY – In the original plan, the Liverpool boys soccer team would have three full games in the last week of the regular season before a long layoff and the Section III Class AAA playoffs.
The state no. 9-ranked Warriors were denied some part of that plan, though, when an unexpected power outage cut short Tuesday’s game against Cicero-North Syracuse at the Gillette Road complex.
C-NS was in need of a good performance of its own, entering the night at 4-7-3, but saw Liverpool have several early opportunities and convert with Cam Farrell’s goal, assisted by Dominic Piolini.
But with the score 1-0 at the break, a power outage caused by a utility pole catching fire in Cicero put out the lights at Gillette. Since it would take several hours to restore power, the game, which was official, was called with Liverpool still up 1-0.
Now the Warriors hoped for a full game Thursday against PSLA-Fowler before a highly-anticipated regular-season finale Saturday against state no. 5-ranked Baldwinsville, whom it beat 1-0 earlier this season.
They did play all 80 minutes – and Liverpool won yet another 1-0 decision, a second-half goal proving enough to withstand a strong Falcons effort.
And so it led to Saturday afternoon, where if the Warriors got past Baldwinsville, it would have an undefeated regular season at 12-0-4 and, most likely, the top seed for the sectional tournament.
Despite not having lost all season and that earlier win over the Bees, Liverpool was behind B’ville (no. 5) in the state rankings – which was bound to change after the Warriors again prevailed by that familiar 1-0 margin.
They played on even terms until a sequence late in the first half where, off a missed Bees corner kick, Liverpool counterattacked and made the B’ville defense commit a foul inside the 18-yard box. Antonio Wilson converted the ensuing penalty kick.
From there, the Bees’ defense proved quite effective, rarely letting the Warriors organize an attack while, on the other end, it gradually picked up pressure, especially in the latter stages of the second half.
Yet once again, the Liverpool back line, led by Evan Belfield, Patrick Nimineh and Camden Farrell, turned away everything the Bees tried, and when that didn’t work, Jacob McQuatters recorded seven saves.
As Liverpool was beating PSLA-Fowler, C-NS went to West Genesee, where it put together one of its finest all-around performances of the season and was rewarded with a 2-0 victory over the Wildcats, the team it beat in overtime in last fall’s sectional Class AA final.
WG had won 1-0 back when the two teams met Sept. 14. Here, it was scoreless through 40 minutes before C-NS broke through thanks to Jackson Petzoldt’s skill.
Both of the Northstars’ goals came from Petzoldt – one unassisted, the other assisted by Titus Dimitroff. And the defense made it stick, limiting the Wildcats to seven shots, all stopped by Niko Servider, C-NS finishing its regular season at 5-8-3.
Given the no. 5 seed for the sectional AAA tournament, C-NS travels to face no. 4 seed Rome Free Academy Thursday night at 6 p.m. at RFA Stadium, with the winner advancing to face Liverpool in the Oct. 25 semifinals, the Warriors getting more than a week off.
