The account says Westhill led at half-time and restricted New Hartford for much of the second half. Yet the young Spartans found another gear late, with senior midfielder Soren Stevenson reportedly equalising with seven minutes remaining.
Junior defender Michael Sheldon then completed the comeback from a corner, with the winning goal arriving two minutes before full-time. It was an untidy finish, but an important one for a team learning how to win through difficult moments.
Hadity admitted the performance was not complete. “We started to put things together a little bit more and put a couple shots on goal that we were struggling to do earlier in the game,” he said, according to the report.
New Hartford is operating in a very different landscape after 11 seniors, including seven starters, departed following last season’s Section III Class A title success. The scale of that turnover makes this early rally especially significant.
The Spartans are also sharing goalkeeper duties between juniors Luke Taylor and Ryan Halpin, while reshaping a defence that previously relied heavily on graduated goalkeeper Tommy Wameling.
Hadity said the new group is embracing the responsibility. “This year's group is stepping up to the challenge, and they're getting a lot of experience every single game,” he added.
Both teams are reportedly 2-2, leaving plenty of room for the season to develop. New Hartford is next scheduled to host Holland Patent, while Westhill welcomes Cazenovia.
Those fixtures should reveal whether the Spartans’ late surge was a one-off escape or the clearest sign yet that their rebuilding project is gathering momentum.