Undefeated North ties East, wins ECIC Division I

Williamsville North celebrates after a 2-0 win at Section V Aquinas last Friday. Members of the team, pictured from left, are: laying down - John Piaggione and Brian Durfee; squatting - Eric Bellinger, Graham Harris, Lars Woosidilo, Matt Campana, Brett Lanham, Andrew Calabrese, Pat McCann, Oliver Jackson; standing Travis Lang, Andre Marinaccio, Sean Durfee, Dan Topolski, Tyler Cominsky, Ryan Donaldson, Jimmy Nesper, Lucas Barnes, Daric Will, Jeff Ceier, Brendan Walsh, coach Lee Ferenc and Brian Doherty.

Williamsville North's boys soccer team continued its unbeaten ways this past week.

Last Tuesday, the Spartans squared off against Williamsville East. North was ranked No. 1 for Western New York large schools while East was ranked No. 2.

"It is referred to as a battle for bragging rights," said North coach Lee Ferenc. "Both teams know each other very well and some even hang out together so it is ironic that when the whistle blows that have to battle against each other for 90 minutes."

A battle is what Ferenc expected and is what he got. He said both teams had their chances to capitalize, yet nothing could connect with the back of the net.

"With the amount of talent on each side of the field, it was tough to generate any type of consistency or rhythm on offense,' said Ferenc. "It was a great game to be a part of and watch, even though we played to a 0-0 tie."

"I guess the 'bragging rights' will be shared this year," he added.

Ferenc said North's defensive unit was solid as it limited East's high power offense to just six shots and helped Tyler Cominsky earn his tenth shutout of the season.

The next day, the Spartans traveled out to Frontier and won 2-0 to earn the ECIC Division I. It's the Spartans' third division title in the last four years.

The Spartans were determined to break through the defensive shell of Frontier and get a go-ahead goal early. Dan Topolski spanked home his tenth goal of the season within the first eight minutes of the game.

The striker set of Jeff Ceier, Daric Will and Eric Bellinger kept the ball in the attacking third of the field for the majority of the game while the midfield positional play of John Piaggione, Pat McCann, Oliver Jackson and Andre Marinaccio kept the pressure on the Frontier defense, Ferenc said. Matt Campana scored his seventh goal of the season about 67 minutes into the game to seal the win.

"The entire Spartan squad played great and deserved the title for their divisional game performances," said Ferenc.

This past Friday, the Spartans traveled out to Rochester to play Section V powerhouse Aquinas. Aquinas was the 2006 state champions for boys soccer and North played them to a last minute 2-1regular season non-league loss last year.

Yet, Ferenc said his team had nothing but redemption on their mind.

"It was like déjà vu - we played them last year on their homecoming and once again this year on their homecoming weekend," said Ferenc. "We were determined upon arrival that things would be different this year. I could tell by the look in their eyes and player conversations we were going to dictate our game to them."

Ferenc said his team started the first half a little flat due to the travel time but after about 15 minutes or so they woke up. About 38 minutes into the game, Campana scored his eighth goal of the season. Sean Durfee and Piaggione dominated the central part of the field, while Marinaccio sealed the outside.

"They never stopped hustling and would not give Aquinas a chance to step or set up without them being in their face," said Ferenc.

Ferenc said Will set the physical tone of the game as he tirelessly took on Aquinas tackle after tackle.

Ferenc said Lucas Barnes was a "golden" wall for the defense while Jimmy Nesper was a "silent" sweeper, stealing chances constantly away from the Aquinas front.

The Spartans would win 2-0 and improve their season record to 13-0-2. Cominsky earned his 12th shutout to set a school season record for shutouts. One more shutout will place him in the top 10 all-time for Section VI goalkeepers.

North hosted Cheektowaga on Monday. They also host Williamsville South on Thursday and Canisius on Friday. Both games are 4:30 p.m. starts. This is North's homecoming week.