CENTRAL NEW YORK – A path back to a Section III championship and another state final four appearance for the Westhill boys soccer team is likely to run straight through Skaneateles.
So it only figured that the Warriors and Lakers would meet each other late in the regular season, and last Thursday night the two sides battled it out over 100 minutes of rising tension.
Yet it did not result in a breakthrough. The 0-0 draw included a host of Skaneateles opportunities that didn’t work while, on the other end, Westhill took eight shots, all turned back by Charles Carbonaro.
Before this, Westhill first had to go face Marcellus last Monday night, and despite the Mustangs’ 1-9 record it broke up the Warriors’ long shutout streak and nearly got it to overtime, too.
Still, Westhill prevailed 2-1, only taking the lead in the second half after a first half where the Warriors had most of the chances but only converted once.
Meanwhile, Ethan Hubbard converted, the first opposing player to get a goal on Westhill since Skaneateles’ Sam Ryan did so on Sept. 24 and only the third goal the Warriors have allowed all season.
Westhill did go back in front in the second half and stayed there, needing Timmy Cowin and Teddy DeMore to find the net, both of the goals assisted by Eric Holstein as Mustangs goalie Ryan Stephens made seven saves.
Gaining confidence from this effort, Marcellus went out two nights later and beat Homer 1-0. Again Hubbard scored, only it came in the first half assisted by Liam Lundrigan and held up as the defense limited the Trojans to just two shots. Homer goalie Levi Guay kept his team close earning 12 saves.
Even bigger, from the Mustangs’ standpoint, was taking on Christian Brothers Academy Friday night and, taking it to double overtime, defeating the Brothers 2-1.
Solid defense by Marcellus smothered CBA after Zach Walma’s first-half goal. An early 1-1 tie held until the OT goal as Lundrigan and Colden Kwasnowski got the goals, assists went to Owen Alexander and Cameron Stojkovski and Ryan Stephens recorded nine saves.
Solvay got another victory last Monday against Bishop Grimes, edging the Cobras 1-0. Ali Karim’s first-half goal, assisted by Thang Paul, held up the rest of the way, with Santiago Hernandez Suarez stopping each of the Cobras’ six shots to earn the shutout.
Things were very different, though, in Tuesday night’s 8-0 defeat to Cazenovia, where the Lakers poured in four goals in each half and improved its overall record to 12-1.
It got close again on Thursday, against Cortland, with Solvay falling 1-0 as Cal Albirght’s first-half goal for the Purple Tigers held up, Hernandez Suarez kept the Bearcats close, stopping 11 of the 12 shots he faced, but his teammates only had three shots all game.
