A single defeat to Liverpool that broke a six-match win streak, all of them shutouts, hurt the Baldiwnsville boys soccer team, but only a little bit.

True, the Bees fell from no. 4 to no. 12 in the state Class AA rankings, but it could regain some of that status with wins in the games that followed.

And none meant more than last Saturday afternoon’s visit to Swan Pond, the first time B’ville had encountered Fayetteville-Manlius since last season’s overtime defeat to the Hornets in the Section III final.

Stakes were not as high on this occasion, but B’ville still ended the day feeling quite satisfied, having scored early and held on from there for a 1-0 victory.

As often happens when top Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division sides meet, the defenses would stand out, knowing each other’s tendencies and minimizing good scoring chances.

B’ville’s back line, again led by Alex Charest Teklu Habtesion, Jared Kantak and Jack Branigan, held F-M to four shots, all stopped by Drew Taylor, as the Bees earned its seventh shutout of the season.

They did so having gained an early advantage when, in the first half, Jason Hahn took a pass from Drew Johnson and put it past Hornets goalie Chris Szidat, who otherwise made eight saves

Before that, though, B’ville first had to get through a tough home game with Cicero-North Syracuse last Tuesday night, and with some early production, the Bees were able to edge the Northstars 2-1.

Jason Hahn’s goal, assisted by Connor Hamilton, got the Bees in front in the first half. Then Mike Allen fed Jacob Way for a second goal that would prove valuable as C-NS also converted, yet throughout the second half it was unable to get it past the Bees’ defense.

At 8-1 following the win at F-M, the Bees would take on Nottingham and then get a week of rest before six games in October.