Future opponents of the Skaneateles boys soccer team have to watch out any time the ball heads out on the sidelines, close to the net. For that’s when Kelly Donigan uses his strong arms to fling the ball near the net, creating a host of scoring opportunities – and giving the Lakers a potent weapon. That weapon was on full display Tuesday afternoon at Westhill, when Donigan’s throw-ins led to all of the Skaneateles goals in a 3-1 victory over the Warriors. After building a dynasty at Westhill, long-time head coach Roland Ficken stepped down after the 2008 season. Modified coach Tom Etoll has succeeded Ficken, and the Warriors went 2-1 in its opening week, including a split of a weekend tournament in Oneonta. Skaneateles respected Westhill enough to make a strong start, controlling most of the early stages and getting a handful of scoring chances. Despite this, it remained 0-0, and the Warriors nearly went ahead in the 21st minute. Anthony Scaravillo charged in from the right, and Jake Bird had to run out to make a point-blank save. Just a minute later, Donigan went to work.
From the right side, Donigan’s throw-in went into a crowd of players, and Jared Amory poked the ball into the net, giving Skaneateles a 1-0 lead. In the 28th minute, the same thing worked from the left side, as Kyle Baier headed Donigan’s throw past Westhill goalie Ryan Boyle. But the Warriors didn’t go away, as in the 31st minute Scaravallo tore down the right side, then lofted a perfect cross to the middle, where John Emm pushed it past Bird, making it 2-1. Less than nine minutes into the second half, Skaneateles got another throw-in near the Westhill net. Again, Donigan saw his throw go into a scrum in front of Boyle, and Spencer Parker emerged to head it home, restoring the Lakers’ two-goal margin. Pat Scutari replaced Boyle in goal, and made some nice stops the rest of the way. Still, Westhill could not close the gap. Skaneatles (3-0-1) is back home Thursday to face Cazenovia, while Westhill is in action again Friday at Manlius-Pebble Hill.