Everyone associated with the Baldwinwsville girls soccer team remembered the last time it met West Genesee in post-season play.
That took place 12 months ago, when the Bees went after the Section III Class AA title — and the Wildcats prevailed.
Still bitter about that defeat, and wanting no part of a sequel, B’ville took its no. 5 seed to Camillus last Thursday night and simply dominated against WG, earning a 4-0 win over the no. 4 seed Wildcats.
“These girls were hungry to get back what they lost last year,” said head coach Kathy Morse.
The stakes were higher, too, than it was when the two sides met Oct. 2 at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, and it ended in a 1-1 draw. Whatever the Bees didn’t show then, it brought out now.
Any questions about the Bees were answered just 3:26 into the game. Grabbing possession, Quincey Spagnoletti tore down the right side, then struck a perfect cross to the middle, where Jen Fabian hit a low shot past WG goalie Melissa Stevens inside the left post.
In order to utilize her team’s greatest asset — pure, blinding speed — Morse began substituting players before the game was 10 minutes old, then maintained that pattern the rest of the way. Everyone, except goalkeeper Kaitlyn Charbonneau, got breathers, got recharged — then went back out to attack the Wildcats again.
“We want to have fresh legs all the time, and we have a team where any player can be the hero,” she said.
Fabian and Alexis Coughlin stood out in the early going, though. Stevens robbed Coughlin of a goal with a fabulous, leaping save in the 18th minute, but Coughlin answered in the 32nd minute when her corner kick was flicked by Fabian into the net, making it 2-0.
“It’s a good as we’ve finished (scoring chances) all year,” said Morse. “All season we’ve struggled to finish. Now is a good time to start doing that.”
A furious WG squad attacked more in the second half, but could not solve the B’ville defense. Natalie Chrismer, Katie VanDevalk, Katie Gildemeyer and a host of back-line players kept close tabs on Wildcat star Chelsea Kuss and, when necessary, abandoned the zone to force offsides calls. Charbonneau finished with six saves.
Fittingly, it was a reserve, junior Jessica Bond, that came up with a huge goal with 11:13 left, barely a minute after the Wildcats’ best scoring chance was thwarted. Ali Nagle would add another tally with 6:09 left, a perfectly bent corner kick that found the top of the net.
This leads the Bees into the Class AA semifinals, where it returns to West Genesee to face no. 8 seed Liverpool, who stunned top seed CBA 2-1 in its quarterfinal game.
B’ville beat Liverpool 1-0 in a game on Sept. 11 shortened to one half by rain and lightning. The winner gets Cicero-North Syracuse or Auburn in the AA title game.
