CENTRAL NEW YORK – With their regular-season series split, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse teams now had to start to position themselves for the upcoming Section III Class A playoffs.
A big part of that preparation would involve games against West Genesee. The Warriors went first, going to Mike Messere Field last Tuesday and seeing a huge disparity in face-offs take a toll on the defense in an 11-6 defeat.
When they first met in April, WG had to come back in the second half to pull out a 10-9 decision, and for a while the rematch drifted in the same direction, both in score and tempo.
Again solid on defense, Liverpool didn’t let the Wildcats get clear and moved back into a 4-4 tie by halftime, but were kept off the board in the pivotal third quarter as the Wildcats established a 7-4 margin.
WG applied continual pressure thanks to Jonah Vormwold nearly throwing a perfect game in the center X, winning 16 of 17 face-offs as, to pace the offense, Chace Cogan had a career-best four goals and Jake McMahon added three goals.
Liverpool did get 18 saves from goalie Owen Salanger, while on the other end Owen Michaud and Chris Mattot finished with two goals apiece. The other goals went to Dom Osbeck and Gavin Kenna, with Brady Michaud joining Osbeck in the assist column.
Then it was C-NS’s turn on Thursday night at Bragman Stadium, and though it made a mid-game surge, the Wildcats answered it and pull away to hand the Northstars a 17-8 defeat.
WG led 7-2 through an active opening period. Gradually, C-NS ate away at this deficit until it had moved within one, 8-7, early in the third quarter.
What followed was a 6-1 scoring burst by the Wildcats that covered the rest of the period, again keyed by Vormwold, who mastered whichever C-NS player was lined up against him to the tune of going 23-for-25 with face-offs.
Jack Wenham benefited the most for WG setting a career mark with five goals. Oudemool, Cogan and McMahon each scored three times, while only Adrian Sweeney got to that mark for C-NS as Donovan Chaney and Tanner Long had two goals apiece. Rocco Villano and Joe Malecki had the other goals, with Leyton Sullivan earning 17 saves.
Back at Liverpool, another showdown unfolded, the Warriors hosting Fayetteville-Manlius, and in a case of payback the Warriors, leaning heavily on its defensive unit, frustrated the Hornets and earned a 10-5 victory.
Much of the margin was built in the second half. Up 3-1 early, Liverpool had seen F-M cut the margin to 4-3 by halftime, but the Warriors used multiple defensive looks to force the Hornets into a series of mistakes throughout the second half.
Salanger stopped 11 of 16 shots he faced, firing up his teammate, especially Mattot, who poured in five goals, and Owen Michaud, who notched three assists to go with his hat trick. Danny Dunn and Brendan Caraher had the other goals, Osbeck adding two assists.
Playing again on Saturday afternoon, Liverpool ran into West Genesee’s primary challenger in Class B, Watertown, and the Cyclones put on quite a demonstration of all-around skill beating the Warriors 17-5.
Steadily, Watertown got away, led by Jack Adams, whose six goals topped Liverpool’s entire output as he also got three assists. Dunn had two goals and one assist to pace the Warriors as Owen Michaud got three assists, joining Mattot and Brady Michaud in the goal-scoring column. Salanger recorded 14 saves.
