While it was true that the Liverpool girls soccer team took a pair of 1-0 defeats to Long Island powers Islip and Massapequa during a Sept. 9-10 tournament at Oneonta’s Wright National Soccer Complex, it still came back with good feelings about it.
For one thing, the Warriors’ defense had mostly held up against potent attacks, and if it could do so there, then it certainly could hold up against Section III foes. That included Fayetteville-Manlius, whom Liverpool beat 2-1 last Wednesday night at LHS Stadium.
Alex Vinci’s first-half goal helped the Hornets play the Warriors to a 1-1 draw going into intermission. However, Liverpool went back in front in the latter stages and, helped by Megan Merrifield’s six saves, stayed there.
The attack was less dependent on the work of the Kovarik sisters, though Bri Kovarik did score one of the two goals. Abby Haley had the other tally as Emily Dorr and Dlyva Duraisamy each picked up an assist.
Yet another tough non-league game loomed on Saturday when Rochester Aquinas visited LHS Stadium, but the Warriors once again met the challenge as Carly Kovarik put on a show to defeat the Little Irish 3-1.
Much of the damage was done in the first half, Kovarik converting twice to negate the lone Aquinas goal. Then Kovarik scored again in the second half to register a hat trick as her sister, Bri, twice was credited with assists and Dorr got an assist, too.
Trying to rebound from its 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sept. 7, Cicero-North Syracuse had routed Auburn two days later and then, in last Wednesday night’s game at West Genesee, had to play superb defense to escape Camillus with a 0-0 draw.
All through the game, the Wildcats, who also played Westhill 0-0 in its previous game, made a series of runs. Yet in 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, the Northstars maintained the scoreless mark, with Olivia Haven making 10 saves. That atoned for C-NS only getting four shots against WG’s back line.
At the start of a full weekend of home games at Archie Hall Stadium that would include a game against Oneonta, the Northstars pasted another Section IV opponent when it beat Owego Free Academy by a 7-0 margin.
It was close in the first half, C-NS only leading 1-0 before pouring it on after intermission. Marissa Bukowski, in particular, hurt Owego by scoring three times and adding a pair of assists, while Ashlyn Slate also had two assists. Morgan Siechen, Haley Imbesi, Ciera Murphy and Claire McNitt took turns putting in goals.
Liverpool stays at home this week, taking on West Genesee and New Hartford as the build-up to that first showdown with Baldwinsville on Sept. 26.