ONONDAGA COUNTY – Just a week after it made its season debut, the Liverpool girls soccer team would offer a challenge to rival Cicero-North Syracuse as the two sides collided at Bragman Stadium for the first time since last fall’s Section III Class AAA final.
The Northstars, sporting a young lineup full of freshman, sophomores and eighth-graders, had lost three times in four days, the last of them the most painful as it fell 3-2 in overtime to West Genesee last Tuesday at Bragman Stadium.
C-NS had opened its campaign with two games in the Hall of Fame Tournament in Niskayuna on Sept. 7 and 8, where it did not earn a single goal in a 2-0 defeat to St. Anthony’s (Long Island) and a 1-0 loss to Albertus Magnus, from Section I.
From the outset of this game, though, the Northstars were the aggressors, forcing West Genesee into a constant defensive mode and getting all sorts of opportunities.
What’s more, C-NS wasn’t discouraged by an early Wildcats goal on a Chelsea Donaldson penalty kick, tying it early in the second half on Sloane Raymond’s goal and taking a 2-1 lead when Abby Mackey converted off a corner kick.
But just two minutes after Mackey put the Northstars in front, another handball insides its own 18-yard box led to a second Donaldson penalty kick conversion, which tied it 2-2.
Fresher and more energetic, WG attacked hard late in regulation and carried it into OT, where just 2:37 into the extra period Kyra Lynch headed home a corner kick past Natalie LaPoint to end it.
It took until Saturday afternoon for C-NS to bag its first win of the season, and it did so convincingly against Section IV’s Horseheads earning a 3-0 shutout.
Alexa Belknap led the charge, twice finding the net and adding an assist. Mackey tacked on a goal and assist and Raymond also converted, with Emery Kozdemba adding an assist.
Liverpool had waited longer than most sides to take the field, finally doing so last Tuesday but against a seasoned foe in Fayetteville-Manlius, who proceeded to beat the Warriors 3-0.
Start to finish, the Warriors found itself contained by a solid Hornets defense while, on the other end, a first-half goal was all that F-M required.
Though Gracie Sleeth made seven saves, Liverpool could not answer a balanced F-M attack where Macie Davey, Ashley Seidberg and Varna Aeleti picked up goals and assists went to Una Vlasak and Jana Hodge.
As C-NS would do, the Warriors would win on Saturday in a shutout, blanking Central Square by that same 3-0 margin with a big second half after neither side scored in the first 40 minutes.
Kaylee Lockwood finished with one goal and one assist. Mia Wright and Lauren Graham also found the net, with the Redhawks held to four shots, all stopped by Sleeth.
Liverpool has another Saturday game this weekend against Vestal as C-NS goes to Baldwinsville Thursday night.
