CENTRAL NEW YORK – At various points through the last few decades the West Genesee boys soccer team managed to find success against all of the large-school programs, save for one.
Both in the regular season and post-season, Baldwinsville haunted the Wildcats, who beat them just once in the 21st century – at least until that number doubled.
WG’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Bees last Tuesday night in Camillus didn’t just break a drought against the Bees which dated back to the 2020-21 COVID-19 season, it also established that the Wildcats could take full advantage of a good break.
The game had gone through the entire second half and one 10-minute OT period 1-1, but early in the second OT an attack by WG produced a free kick.
When the ball glanced off the hand of a Bees player inside the 18-yard box, the Wildcats were awarded a penalty kick. Sasha Pushkarenko went to the spot – and fired it past B’ville goalie Enzo Falso to win it.
Each of the team’s regulation goals came in the first half. Jake McMahon tallied for WG off a feed from Jeff Mercer, but the Bees converted, too, setting up the long stalemate broken by Pushkarenko’s game-winner.
Two nights later, WG looked to avoid a letdown at Henninger and did so in an emphatic way, shutting out the Black Knights 5-0 with all of its goals in a second-half surge.
Five different players got those goals, with Logan Scott and Jeremy Clifton each getting a goal and assist. Bryce Wells, Brandon Glowacki and Paul Toumbacaris also found the net, with McMahon, Sean Dunning and Christian Ball adding assists.
To complete this tremendous week of action, WG met Skaneateles on Saturday afternoon at Hyatt Stadium and battled its way past the Lakers 1-0.
Defenses ruled for most of the game, but they did so after Mercer put the Wildcats in front in the first half. Forced into a defensive mode for long stretches, the Wildcats held up, getting a combined nine saves from Boston Crandall and Cole Hamilton.
While all this was going on, Bishop Ludden looked to follow up its major win over Fabius-Pompey on Sept. 10 which had helped place the Gaelic Knights at no. 9 in the first state Class C rankings of the fall.
Against Manlius Pebble Hill last Wednesday night, the Gaelic Knights trailed for a long segment of the game before pulling even and then earning a 1-1 draw with the Trojans.
MPH got the only goal of the first half despite not having that many chances. Ludden stayed patient, though, and Jack Marvin, off a feed from Colden Sheen, netted the tying goal in the second half. Neither team could decide it in overtime.
Ludden did win on Friday, though, blanking Bishop Grimes 4-0 as it bolted to a 3-0 edge by halftime and saw Sheen take over.
Involved in every scoring play, Sheen had three assists to go with a goal, twice setting up Johnny Huddleston for goals and also assisting on Jack Ruddy’s tally. Brendan Smith got the assist when Sheen converted.
Jordan-Elbridge/Cato-Meridian took a 3-2 defeat to Syracuse Academy of Science last Tuesday night as Riley Frigon-King and Collin Tiel netted goals for the Eagles, yet it wasn’t enough as the Atoms got tallies from Joelhmy Parrella, Claude Niyonzima and Sharif Hussein.
