North opens league play with convincing victories

Williamsville North's boys soccer team opened ECIC Division I league play last week with shutout victories.

The Spartans, ranked No. 1 among Western New York large schools, blanked Lancaster, 7-0, last Wednesday and followed with an impressive 5-0 shutout over Jamestown.

North came ready to play against Lancaster. The Spartans never stopped pressuring the Redskins and the defensive core unit only allowed two shots all game.

Jimmy Nesper, Graham Harris and Lucas Barnes clogged the middle of the field, while Brian Doherty, Brendan Walsh and Travis Lang shut down the outside.

North coach Lee Ferenc said Lancaster had a returning All-Western New York striker that was completely shut out of the game. Meanwhile, the offensive unit pressured the Redskins continuously. Matt Campana registered a hat trick, and John Piaggione, Andre Marinaccio, Jeff Ceier and Dan Topolski also scored. "It just seemed we kept generating offensive scoring chances every time we touched the ball," said North coach Lee Ferenc. "Players were hungry and crashing the net from all angles, just looking to bury a ball in the net."

Goalie Tyler Cominsky earned another shutout.

North's domination continued at Jamestown.

"The trip is always tough because we can only get about 15 minutes to warm up because it takes about two hours to get to the game site," said Ferenc. "Yet, the players showed no sign of fatigue as they outplayed, outscored and outran Jamestown to earn an impressive 5-0 victory."

Netting the goals for North were Campana and Oliver Jackson with two goals apiece, along with Dan Topolski. Brian Durfee had a tremendous game - he picked up two assists and rung a free kick off the crossbar.

Pat McCann and Piaggione continued to look impressive as both earned assists. The defensive unit once again held the opponent to a few shots and helped Cominsky earn his fourth shutout on the year.

This will be a huge divisional week for North as they host top-ranked Clarence on Tuesday along with Orchard Park on Thursday.

North is 5-0 on the year and is outscoring their opponents 20-1.