ONONDAGA COUNTY – For the early part of last week, the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team had a combination of recuperation and repetition, working hard but also making sure it had a chance to breathe a bit after a crowded first half of the regular season.
Despite some major struggles, especially on the defensive side, the Bees were 5-3, not losing sight of its main Class A challengers and ready to face one of them for the first time this spring.
B’ville went to Liverpool Thursday afternoon, part of a big quartet of games (West Genesee against Skaneateles, Fayetteville-Manlius against Cicero-North Syracuse, Marcellus against Jamesville-DeWitt) on that single day that each were decided by a single goal.
Here, regulation time was not enough, the game stretching into two overtimes before the Warriors subdued the Bees 8-7, the first time Liverpool had won in this series since 2019.
Having won 11 straight against its neighborhood rival, B’ville immediately found itself in trouble, Liverpool jumping out to a 4-1 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
It stayed that way until the third period when, solving the Warriors’ sticky defense, the Bees went on a 5-1 tear to take a 7-6 lead, but it would not score again.
All through the fourth quarter, Liverpool’s defense kept B’ville out, and that trended continued throughout a scoreless first OT after the Warriors had tied it late in regulation. Owen Salanger stopped 17 of the 24 shots he faced.
Only in the second extra period did it end when Mason Gridley put it past Trevor Sutton, who to that point had made 11 saves. It gave Gridley a hat trick, his three goals and one assist augmented by Owen Michaud’s two goals and two assists.
For its part, B’ville got two goals apiece from Dylan Garcia and Iggy LoMedico, with single goals going to Brady Garcia, Tieman Lynch and Zach Bice. Judson Ferris added an assist.
Then, at East Syracuse Minoa on Saturday afternoon at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, the Bees faced more drama, but got away late to beat the Spartans 16-11.
These two sides traded goals through most of the game. Only in the final seconds of the third quarter did B’ville got in front for good, and the momentum carried over as the Bees outscored ESM 7-3 in the final period.
Dylan Garcia’s five goals were complemented by Brady Garcia’s three goals and four assists. Bice scored four times, while Lynch had two goals. Ferris and LoMedico each had two assists, with Matt Niedzialek joining Ferris earning single goals.
All of this followed the 16-8 victory over Christian Brothers Academy on April 20 where, after a tightly played first half, B’ville, ahead 5-4, broke clear with five unanswered goals as it blanked CBA in the third quarter.
Brady Garcia had four goals and Dylan Garcia three goals, with Lynch also scoring three times. Ferris got two assists, joining LoMedico, Niedzialek and Dan Trouesdale with one goal apiece. Alessio McGrane got an assist and, combined, Sutton and fellow goalie Jake Seefeldt recorded 13 saves.
At 6-4 overall following the win over ESM, B’ville would stay home this week, challenged Tuesday by C-NS and then in a Thursday game against West Genesee as it looked to avenge a 12-7 April 16 defeat to the Wildcats.
