Not since 2010 has the Baldwinsville girls soccer team sat atop the Section III Class AA ranks, though it has come close in each of the ensuing three years, reaching the semifinals twice and dropping the title game to Cicero-North Syracuse a year ago.
Now, head coach Kathy Morse and her Bees start on another championship quest, returning all but one player from the 2013 roster, a rare instance of roster continuity at the high school level.
Just as in seasons past, B’ville opened its season by joining its male counterparts in a tournament at Clarence High School, near Buffalo, where it would play a pair of local opponents.
It all started Aug. 29 with an impressive 3-0 shutout over Nardin Academy, a game where B’ville scored once in the first half and then tacked on two more goals in the late going to gain some cushion.
Two returning junior starters, Gentile and Hailey Couchman, each had a goal, with Addison Hornsey also finding the net. Isabella May and Mackenzie Schaeffner both earned assists.
That good play did not quite carry over into the Aug. 30 final against host Clarence, though, the Bees taking a 2-1 defeat to the Red Devils.
Through the first 40 minutes, B’ville’s defense held up well, and Gentile scored to put her side up 1-0. But the Bees went cold in the second half and Clarence pounced, getting both of its goals to overcome a spectacular effort from Hannah Mackenzie, who made 14 saves.
To start its work in the CNY Counties League, B’ville paid a visit to Fayetteville-Manlius on Thursday night, and a combination of stout defense and timely attacks led to a 3-0 shutout of the Hornets.
F-M had a fair amount of chances, but Mackenzie, with seven saves, stopped all of them, watching as B’ville bolted out to a 2-0 halftime lead and tacked on a goal in the latter stages.
Again, the production was spread around. Gentile scored again, but so did Erin Nagle and Madeline Darstein, with Couchman and Schaeffner getting credit for assists.
With a 2-1 mark, the Bees get another big test on Monday night when it visits Liverpool, the sectional champions from 2011 and 2012.
