In a pair of spectacular spurts, Baldwinsville girls soccer star Hannah Mimas demonstrated, for all to see, just how devastating her team’s attack could be when challenged by its two closest neighbors.
A scoreless first half in last Tuesday’s game against Liverpool at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium caused some concern –at least until Mimas put up the most dominant performance of her career to help the Bees defeat the Warriors 5-1.
Constant pressure and possession in the first 40 minutes did not work for B’ville as Liverpool kept it 0-0, a strong effort for a team still trying to put itself back together under first-year head coach Nicole Murphy.
Then, early in the second half, Mimas put one past Warriors goalie Mikayla Perry. Not content with that, Mimas added a second goal, and tacked on a third goal for the hat trick.
Even that wasn’t enough, though, as Mimas earned her fourth goal before the 10-minute mark, and after Alexandra Rancier put in a goal with eight minutes left for Liverpool, Gretchen Perine answered for the Bees.
Now the Bees turned its attention to Thursday’s game against Cicero-North Syracuse, which proved more difficult – at least until Mimas grabbed control in the latter stages, turning a tense affair into a more comfortable 4-1 victory.
Picking up right where she left off against Liverpool, Mimas found the net again just 10 minutes into the game, Makaelynn Neivel earning the assist. For most of the rest of the half, B’ville probed, yet could not add to that margin.
Then, nine seconds before intermission, Simone Neivel, off a feed from Hannah Johnson, scored to make it 2-0, giving B’ville a needed cushion since C-NS would not go away.
Kept quiet for most of the second half, the Bees saw the lead cut to 2-1 when Madelyn Jackson netted an unassisted goal for the Northstars.
Having seen Ava Field make 10 saves for C-NS, the Bees finally were able to feel comfortable when Mimas converted with 1:48 to play and, for good measure, she added a goal with nine seconds left on a free kick to earn her second hat trick of the week.
Then, in Saturday’s game against Ithaca, B’ville faced another kind of test, one where it would have to cling to a small lead for a prolonged stretch in order to beat the Little Red 1-0.
Mimas got her eighth goal of the week 10 minutes into the game, assisted by Johnson, but instead of the all-out barrage, B’ville instead had to settle for steady pressure and its defense had to work hard, too, against a determined Ithaca attack.
Having done so, the Bees could now focus on Tuesday night, and the long-awaited visit from Fayetteville-Manlius, who snatched the sectional title away from B’ville a year ago and has started fast this season, too. B’ville faces Rome Free Academy Thursday night.
