The West Genesee Wildcats clawed their way to a fourth
2-0 (4-0) straight win by defeating the Fayetteville
Manlius Hornets 7-4 at the sparkling new carpeted field
at Central Square High School. A makeup game played
in the finest conditions yet this spring was a back
and forth battle as both teams fought each other and
their lack of full field games and practices which led
to some sloppy play at both ends.
Genny jumped on top at the 11:03 mark when junior middie
Jake Moulton ripped a 15- yard shot past F-M senior
goalie Tim Gazzini. The Hornets tied the game 1 -1 at
5:42 when a shot by senior middie Zak Carter rang off
the post and posited itself in the stick of fellow teammate
senior middie Bret Ferguson who stuck the shot past
senior Wildcat goalie Casey Rotella. The last four minutes
of the quarter turned out to be a game of one-upmanship
as both Gazzini and Rotella turned away bids on their
doorsteps to keep the game even.
Second quarter action began much the same way it ended
with Rotella steering away a dangerous bounce shot by
Carter which helped lead to the second Cats goal less
than a minute later.Senior middie Pat McCormack put
Genny ahead 2-1 at 8:13 when he cut from behind the
left side of the Hornet cage, took a feed from junior
attackman Andrew Hanover and zipped a shot by Gazzini.
The Cats increased their lead to 3-1 on great solo effort
from senior attackman Jed Bebee who beat his man behind
the goal sprung out in front of a bewildered Gazzini
and stuck the shot home.
However the Hornets refused to falter and fought right
back with a bounce shot goal that skipped by Rotella
off the stick of senior middie Dan Brown with an assist
to junior middie Tom Spencer to cut the score to 3-2.
Gennyd the third quarter with an early goal at
11:13 to go ahead 4-2 when senior middie and face-off
co-captain Matt Cassalia used a nice spin move to slip
by his man and sneak a bouncer by Gazzini. Bebee followed
that up with his second marker of the evening when he
took a short dump pass from senior attackman, co-captain
Drew Dabrowski and found the range to increase the lead
to 5-2. With only 2:55 left in the third quarter Zak
Carter continued to pester Rotella and the Wildcat defense
as his long shot from the right side of the goal handcuffed
Rotella who stopped the ball momentarily only to watch
it drop in behind seconds later cutting the lead to
5-3.
The Catsd the final stanza with sustained pressure
around the Hornet goal.
Dabrowski almost capitalized off a shot from just outside
the crease but Gazzini used his right elbow to direct
the ball away at the last moment. Just two seconds later
after the inbound off the saved shot Bebee would get
his third goal of the night taking a pass from Dabrowski
and doubling the Genny lead to 6-3. Fayetteville would
make one last run at the Cats when Dan Brown netted
his second of the evening at 8:44 to cut the lead to
6-4. Genny would finally ice the game 7-4 with a patented
passing play that was as exciting as it was flawless
when Hanover passed to Dabrowski who spun and one timed
to Bebee who capped his night with a fourth goal by
putting a shot past Gazzini with 5:07 left to play and
seal the victory.
