The Dryden boys soccer team never let up against Groton and dominated from start to finish for the 13-0 win Tuesday at Ross Field in Groton.
Eight different players scored for Dryden in the win, with six goals coming in the first half and seven in the second. The Lions also had 42 shots as they were consistently on the attack.
All things clicked for Dryden right from the start. Luke Eshelman scored off an assist from Jacob Totman just 2:09 into the game. Totman then scored off an assist from Paul Busby four minutes later and the two connected with the same result with 29:37 left.
Ethan Gibbs, Kai Riggs and Suansian Songput all added a goal in the remaining time of the first half, with Logan Brunner earning an assist on the goal from Riggs.
Dryden did not let up in the second half. In the first eight minutes, Songput scored a goal, Brunner scored back-to-back goals and Peter Nydam scored to make it 10-0. Eshelman earned two assists in that time to Songput and Brunner and Totman earned two to Brunner and Nydam.
Liam Riggs, Brunner and Totman capped off the day with three more goals in the final 14 minutes to power the Lions to a win. Riggs scored an unassisted goal, Max Goehner assisted Brunner’s goal and Busby found Totman.
Totman and Brunner led the big offensive day for Dryden with the duo each finishing with a hat trick. Totman added three assists and Brunner added one assist. The two senior captains are seeing good things from everyone on the team early in the season and Totman has an idea why.
“Me and Logan have been playing together for 10-plus years, so our chemistry is great,” Totman said. “The rest of our team’s chemistry has been great this season as well. It has been much better than last season I think because we all have played together for so long.”
As captains and being two of the three seniors on the team, Brunner and Totman are looked at as leaders with many of their teammates being juniors and younger. Though the captains led the way, the entire team followed their lead.
“We just stay tough on them, so they have a better work ethic and work harder in games to improve themselves,” Brunner said.
Dryden was happy to get a comfortable win after starting the season with two nail-biting wins over Spencer-Van Etten and Elmira Notre Dame.
“A win like this gives us a big confidence booster because we have a big game on Thursday against Marathon that’ll be tough,” Totman said.
Dryden head coach Laszlo Engel has been impressed with his group so early in the season and their ability to keep all focus on the pitch.
“The thing I like the most about this team right now is the character they have,” Engel said. “They don’t give up and they don’t panic. They showed that a lot in those first two close games.”
Dryden plays again at 7 p.m. Thursday at home against Marathon.
BOYS SOCCER
WESTHILL 8, HOMER 0
Homer allowed four goals in each half in its first loss of the season.
GIRLS SOCCER
WESTHILL 2, HOMER 0
Alex Kellaway made 16 saves for Homer in the Trojans’ first loss of the season.
MCGRAW 1, MADISON 0
Karissa Moffitt scored the game’s only goal with 2:47 left in regulation on an own goal off a corner kick.
DRYDEN 7, SPENCER-VAN ETTEN/CANDOR 1
Emma Lobdell’s had trick led Dryden as the Lions scored five second-half goals to blow the doors open. Jazmin Smith also scored twice, Ella Bloomfield-Brown and Nicole Morrow each scored a goal and McKenna Crocker notched an assist to round out Dryden’s scoring effort.
Danielle Warwick made two saves and Miley Bartos stopped one shot for the Lions. Dryden took 20 shots and four corner kicks.
TULLY 2, FAITH HERITAGE/SOLVAY 1
Wren Lawton played hero for Tully, scoring twice in a one-minute span to lead the Black Knights to victory. Lawton put away a goal with 2:25 left in regulation and scored the game-winner with 1:25 to go. Mari Woodcock earned an assist on one of the goals.
Faith Heritage/Solvay scored in the first half, but Emily Hall made four saves for Tully.
FIELD HOCKEY
CATO-MERIDIAN 4, CORTLAND 0
Liz Slavick made 12 saves for and Abby Clay made 13 saves in Cortland’s losing effort. The Purple Tigers took three shots on goal and had two penalty corners.
GIRLS TENNIS
MARCELLUS 5, HOMER 2
Ginny Park and Georgia Wallis earned Homer’s only wins in second and third doubles, respectively, with Park winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 and Wallis winning 6-3, 6-0.
MacKenzie Skodzinsky lost 3-6, 1-6 in first singles, Emma Effinger and Lauren Franco lost 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 in first doubles, Isabelle Brown and Nina Svereika lost 1-6, 2-6 in second doubles, Liz McCloy and Sunny Park lost 3-6, 2-6 in third doubles and MacKenzie Lyman and Lucy Goodwin lost 1-6, 1-6 in fourth doubles.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
BOYS SOCCER
Chittenango at Cortland, 7 p.m. today
Otselic Valley at Cincinnatus, 4:30 p.m. today
Bishop Ludden at Tully, 6 p.m. today
Madison at DeRuyter, 4:30 p.m. today
Homer at Solvay, 5:30 p.m. Thursday
Marathon at Dryden, 7 p.m. Thursday
Remsen at McGraw, 4:30 p.m. Thursday
Groton at DeRuyter, 5 p.m. Thursday
GIRLS SOCCER
Lansing at Marathon, 4:30 p.m. today
Dryden at Groton, 7:30 p.m. today
Syracuse at Homer, 5:30 p.m. Thursday
Cincinnatus at DeRuyter, 3 p.m. Thursday
Fabius-Pompey at Tully, 4:30 p.m. Thursday
VOLLEYBALL
Groton at Odessa-Montour, 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Trumansburg at Dryden, 6:30 p.m. Thursday
FIELD HOCKEY
Weedsport at Homer, 5:30 p.m. today
Marathon at Tioga, 4:30 p.m. today
Moravia at Spencer-Van Etten/Candor, 4:30 p.m. today
CROSS COUNTRY
Marathon, Moravia at Lansing, 5:30 p.m. today
BOYS GOLF
Cortland at Homer, 3:30 p.m. today at Cortland Country Club
Mexico at Cortland, 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Willowbrook Golf Club
Homer at Chittenango, 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Rogues Roost Golf Course
Cazenovia at McGraw, 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Knickerbocker Country Club
GIRLS TENNIS
Homer at Cazenovia, 4:30 p.m. Thursday
SWIMMING & DIVING
Watkins Glen at Dryden, 5 p.m. Thursday
