Homer junior midfielder Dante Patriarco makes a pass to sophomore Andrew Van Patten during an offensive push against Marcellus Wednesday night at Homer High School. Homer lost by a score of 7-4 (Peter Blanchard/Cortland Voice)
HOMER, N.Y. — The Homer Trojans remained competitive against the Marcellus Mustangs but fell by a score of 7-4 Wednesday night at Homer High School.
Marcellus’ Liam Tierney was the first to get on the scoreboard just two minutes into the first quarter after ripping a long range shot into the net.
Two minutes later, Homer answered back, with junior attacker and captain Dylan Yacavone scoring to tie the game at t1-1. Marcellus then went on to score three straight goals by the end of the first quarter, all coming from attack threat Tierney. All of Tierney’s goals came from long range shots—all of them in the first half—as he ended up with five total goals, four of them coming in the first quarter.
“We knew Tierney was a good player,” said Homer head coach Tom Cottrell. “A lot of people have trouble with him. The problem was that early on, we let his hands free to shoot the ball pretty much uncontested because we were not hustling. Quarters two through four, we hustled up to him whenever he got the ball and he didn't have his hands free to shoot anymore.”
Heading into the second quarter, the Trojans quickly scored with Yacavone going around Marcellus’ goal, faking a defender and finding fellow junior midfielder Dante Patriarco for an open shot on goal to narrow the Marcellus lead to 4-2.
Marcellus then answered back with 7:58 left in the second quarter as Tierney scored his last goal of the game to increase the lead to 5-2.
With 1:27 left before halftime, Homer senior defender and captain Zach Mallory was walked off the field and forced to sit for the remainder of the game after blocking a shot from Tierney with his body.
Homer was desperate to at least put one on the board before halftime, which Yacavone almost delivered. With 16 seconds left in the first half, he scored after getting around the goal, but the goal was called off because he shot from the crease.
Heading into the third quarter after halftime, Homer came on and tried to get a comeback, coming in strong and aggressive on both ends of the field. Once again, Yacavone scored two straight goals, one of them as soon as the quarter started and another halfway through the third, narrowing Marcellus’ lead to 5-4.
“We have put ourselves in that wall and the only ones that can dig out of it are us, so we need the ball, we are behind, we have to pick up the intensity and make some good things happen; and I thought the kids did that really well and played hard,” said Coach Cottrell.
Coach Tom Cottrell gives his team a pep talk following their loss to Marcellus.
The Trojans kept being aggressive and applying pressure on the Mustangs. It was an ongoing battle.
The Mustangs, however, went on to score two more goals, ending the game 7-4.
“Tonight we didn't play with the effort and intensity that we needed to in the first quarter and got down four to one,” said Coach Cottrell. “Then the game ended seven to four. So that tells me that we were even the rest of the way and our bad start is what cost us the game. So we have to find a way to start better and play with the effort that we need to for all four quarters.”
Homer is now 4-3 in their division and 7-5 overall.
