Cicero-North Syracuse girls soccer's attack has a pretty simple job when they take the pitch: score two goals.
Behind them sits perhaps the best defensive unit in all of Section III, one that has yet to allow multiple goals in a game this season.
In Tuesday's matchup against West Genesee, the Northstars had every reason to let their defense do the heavy lifting once again. Instead, both sides of the ball came ready to make an impact.
CNS was less than two seconds away from shutting out the Wildcats in an emphatic 3-1 victory to keep its perfect record unblemished through eight games.
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If West Genesee junior Addison Czarny hadn't scored with 1.9 seconds left in regulation, then CNS would be celebrating its fourth shutout of the year. Even still, the Northstars have allowed just five goals this season — tied for the second-lowest mark in Section III.
"It feels really good just knowing that we have people back there that we trust and that will help win the game for us," CNS forward Sloane Raymond said.
Raymond was part of the Northstars' dynamic attack that laid the foundation for the defense to protect. CNS was aggressive in the early minutes but kept narrowly missing the net.
The Northstars finally broke through with 20 minutes remaining in the first. Junior Evelyn Maglente found herself in a one-on-one look from the right side of the net and launched an unstoppable kick into the upper-left corner.
Just five minutes later, CNS worked the ball to Maglente in the same spot. This time, West Genesee collapsed on the forward, allowing her to set up Raymond for an easy score.
"We like to press," CNS coach Jeremy Lenchert said. "We don't like giving teams time on the ball. We've got pace all over the field."
The Northstars could effectively coast with that first-half nest egg. Sophomore Margaret Dufort netted her first career goal by tapping in a corner kick in the second half to widen the gap, but for the most part the focus was just on keeping the Wildcats off the board.
CNS (8-0) is now off to its best start to a campaign since it won its first nine games in 2021. The Northstars went on to finish undefeated in the regular season that year.
It's clear that CNS is dialed in on one goal after falling short in the state championship game last season.
"From the moment this season began, the girls want to win a state title," Lenchert said. "That's our thought. We go into every season not worried about how the regular season is going to go."
West Genesee had similar aspirations after also putting together a state tournament run last year, but those have unraveled since these teams first met less than two weeks prior.
The Northstars won that contest by nearly the same margin, 3-0, to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
But dating back to that defeat, West Genesee has been unable to recapture its early-season magic. The Wildcats are winless since then, posting a 0-3-1 record over their last four games.
West Genesee (5-3-2) has the chance to snap its skid against Rome Free Academy on Thursday. It will be the Wildcats first home game in almost two full weeks.
CNS has another rematch on the docket against Fayetteville-Manlius on Thursday. The Northstars trounced the Hornets, 6-0, at the start of September.
Raymond has confidence that CNS will continue to successfully defend its unbeaten record.
"I know if we keep playing how we're playing, it's gonna just go the way we want it to go."
