On and off the field, the Baldwinsville girls soccer team’s game against West Genesee last Tuesday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium was a total triumph.
The fact that the Bees defeated the Wildcats 3-1 was only a small part of the story, though it did include a spectacular outburst from senior Simone Neivel that produced a particular highlight.
B’ville and West Genesee paired up for unique fund-raiser, promoting brain cancer awareness by raising funds for the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, located at Duke University.
Between the sales of T-shirts, special jerseys for the evening, concessions and donations from fans at the game, more than $2,000 was raised for the Tisch Center, yet another example of how the community shows its generosity toward a good cause.
The game itself was intriguing because the Bees were facing a Wildcats side that had pushed Fayetteville-Manlius to the wire in a 2-1 decision on Sept. 21, and B’ville didn’t want that kind of drama.
It helped that the Bees went in front 1-0 early in the first half on a goal by Liana Mostrianska, so it could remain patient as WG’s defense contained them for most of the rest of the first half
Then, with a minute to play, the Bees drew a foul inside the 18-yard box and Neivel converted the penalty kick. Seconds later, Neivel regained possession and, from 35 yards out, delivered a rocket shot to the top left corner of the net.
And those two goals ultimately made the difference, since the Wildcats were able to shut out B’ville in the second half and Marlee Pontello converted a penalty kick to get WG on the board with four minutes left.
On Thursday night, B’ville, no. 11 in last week’s state Class AA rankings, visited Liverpool, against whom Hannah Mimas has netted four consecutive goals in the second half to break up a scoreless duel in a 5-1 victory at Pelcher-Arcaro earlier in the month.
Here, it was closer, but once again the brilliance of Mimas, helped by Neivel, helped B’ville gain a 2-0 victory.
Just when it looked like the Warriors would again keep the Bees scoreless in the first half, Mimas, in the 37th minute, took a pass from Neivel and banged a shot off the left post and into the net.
Not going away, the Warriors kept it 1-0 until midway through the second half. B’ville earned a free kick, taken by Neivel, and it went to the net, where Mimas finished it off again, her sixth goal against the Warriors this fall.
And now B’ville would get a chance, in Saturday night’s game against visiting New Hartford, to avenge its lone defeat of the season, when it fell 1-0 to the Spartans on Aug. 30.
The rematch proved tough, too, but this time the Bees weathered early trouble and toughed out a 2-1 victory, with its dynamic duo of Mimas and Nievel again at the forefront.
New Hartford once again went out in front when Olivia DuRoss scored 10 minutes into the game, but later in the half Mimas took a pass from Nievel and converted to tie it, 1-1, where it stood at the break.
That same familiar combination hit again in the second half, Mimas putting home the goal and Neivel earning the assist, and the Bees’ defense made sure the Spartans did not answer.
B’ville plays just once this week, hosting Cicero-North Syracuse on Tuesday, before the Oct. 7 trip to Fayetteville-Manlius, whom it beat 2-0 when they first played on Sept. 17.
