ONONDAGA COUNTY – Another season, another Liverpool boys soccer game against Baldwinsville ending in a score of 1-0.
Except that, in this case, the Warriors liked the way it turned out, prevailing in last Thursday’s season opener at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium which just happened to be against the same foe which ended the 2023 season.
Liverpool had carried the pain of that Section III Class AAA final defeat throughout the off-season and focused its work on reversing that outcome, returning a strong core of players.
B’ville, meanwhile, had graduated most of its back line along with goalkeeper Nick Hollingshead. But new starting goalie Enzo Falso already had a defining moment in his career – the penalty kick he stopped late in regulation in last November’s regional final against Shaker when the score was 1-1 before Andrew Jung’s goal won it in overtime, sending the Bees to the state final four.
Liverpool, while saying it wasn’t seeking revenge for its sectional final defeat, played with steady determination and stayed patient even as Falzo and the rest of the B’ville defense turned them back for the game’s first 60-plus minutes.
But with 18 minutes left in regulation, Ramiz Mehmedovic was able to put a shot past Falso, and despite numerous chances early and late, the Bees could not do the same against Liverpool’s veteran keeper, Jacob McQuatters.
Back home on the new LHS Stadium turf Saturday afternoon, the Warriors faced PSLA-Fowler, and once again kept the opposition off the board while finding a bit more production to shut out the Falcons 3-0.
Unlike with B’ville, Liverpool didn’t wait to convert, getting a 2-0 advantage by halftime. Then it added a goal as Connor Lynch, Dominic Giamartino and Bobby McQuatters earned goals, with Mehmedovic, Dominic Paolini and Ajdin Besevic earning assists.
In between these games, Cicero-North Syracuse opened its season Friday against New Hartford as the opening act of the Northstars’ annual Optimist Tournament.
Even before they took the field, though, it was a proud week for C-NS soccer. Wyatt Dupell, who led the Northstars to the 2022 sectional Class AA championship, was in goal and earned a shutout when Le Moyne College stunned no. 8-ranked Syracuse University 1-0 for the biggest win in the Dolphins program’s young Division I history.
That took some sting off what happened in the Optimist Tournament. C-NS lost, 5-0, to New Hartford, overcoming Tyler Munnich’s seven saves with goals from five different players as Noah Partenza, Ashton Giambrone and Soren Stevenson each had one goal and one assist.
Recovering on Saturday, C-NS played Utica Proctor to a 1-1 draw. Both goals came in the first half, with the Northstars’ defense stepping up to keep the Raiders off the board in the second half and overtime.
A tough, busy week awaits Liverpool, with its own game Tuesday at New Hartford along with a trip Thursday to Henninger before a non-league clash Friday with Canisius, from Buffalo, who will take on B’ville the following day. C-NS would host West Genesee Tuesday before a Friday match at Fayetteville-Manlius.
Local News
Comments / 0