They’re about to take out the grass at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, and the Baldwinsville girls soccer team was in no mood to make its last regular-season appearance on that surface a losing one.
Patient and relentless, the state Class AA no. 10-ranked Bees ate away at West Genesee’s resistance last Tuesday night, and didn’t let up until a pair of late scoring plays orchestrated by its familiar senior trio made the difference in a 2-0 victory over the Wildcats.
This was Senior Night for Jade Gentile, Bella May and Hailey Couchman, long-time members of the varsity squad, and to some it may have seemed like an easy mark, since B’ville had blasted West Genesee 6-0 when they had first met Sept. 21 in Camillus.
However, the rematch had a bit more tension, in large part due to Wildcats goalie Emma Madonna. Under constant barrage, Madonna made 12 saves, most of them in the first half to keep the game 0-0.
During the second half, though, the constant attacks by the Bees paid off. Twice, Gentile flashed open and, both times, sent shots past Madonna to put her side in front to stay, and the assists came from May and Couchman.
Having finished off a 13-2-1 regular season, B’ville got its just reward with the top seed for the Section III Class AA tournament, with state no. 13-ranked Liverpool (12-2-1) as the no. 2 seed.
But with just seven teams qualifying for the sectional tournament, the Bees find itself without a playoff game this week and a bye straight into the semifinals.
By the time it does play again against no. 4 seed West Genesee or no. 5 seed Rome Free Academy, two weeks will have passed since the regular season ended, which gives B’ville ample time to rest, heal injuries and practice for the big tests ahead.
