Much of the closing days of September saw both of Baldwinsville’s soccer teams take what amounted to a mid-season break.
The girls Bees, with the no. 15 state Class AA ranking, spent the whole week practicing and resting, without any game action until Monday’s visit from Oswego, followed by another home game this Friday against Auburn.
As for the boys Bees, the scheduled game last Thursday night against Cicero-North Syracuse got moved to Oct. 20 at 1 p.m., and now will serve as the regular-season finale.
So when B’ville faced Jamesville-DeWitt on Saturday afternoon at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, it was the team’s first game in eight days, since a Sept. 21 romp of Central Square.
Though J-D, who won the Section III Class A title in 2010, proved a tough opponent in seasons past, that wasn’t the case here as B’ville blanked the Red Rams 3-0.
Steady pressure worked for the Bees as it gained a 1-0 lead by halftime, and it spent the second half looking to add to that margin – and doing so, twice.
Trevor Pauldine, Connor Lunduski and Nick Gates each took turns getting a goal, with Connor Ross, Jake Gentile and Jeff Mahar earning assists. Combined, the Bees’ pair of goalies, Nick Londovski and Connor Spaulding, only had to make three saves.
This all leads to the most important two-game stretch of the season. B’ville hosts state-ranked Liverpool Tuesday, a rematch of the 2-2 draw on Sept. 8 at LHS Stadium, and on Friday goes to Fayetteville-Manlius for its first encounter with the Hornets since last fall’s sectional final.
