No. 5 Cicero-North Syracuse and No. 4 Utica Proctor were engaged in a scoreless standoff late in their Class AAA boys soccer sectional quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday.
Midfielder Dante Melfi stepped up for the Northstars. The star senior took a pass from Nicholas Marullo and proceeded to deliver the go-ahead dagger with just over five minutes left in regulation.
C-NS held off the Raiders the rest of the match for a 1-0 victory.
Both defenses were seemingly impenetrable throughout the contest. The game was scoreless at halftime due to each squad's goalkeeper making tremendous saves when called upon.
The contest appeared to be headed for overtime after over 30 minutes of shutout play in the second half. Melfi's remarkable strike allowed the Northstars to avoid the additional period.
C-NS goalkeeper Tyler Munnich was crucial to the Northstars' victory. The senior tallied 12 saves in the first postseason outing of his career. These teams met once before this season. In another defensive battle, the contest wound up finishing in a tie. C-NS (7-8-1) advances to take on No. 1 Liverpool in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 30. The Northstars were swept in the season series but battled to within one goal in both contests.
