It already seemed like it was too soon for the Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius boys soccer teams to clash in an elimination game.
So often in the past, when the Bees and Hornets got together in the Section III Class AA playoffs, the stakes were higher. In fact, in 2014, their meeting was for the sectional title, one that F-M claimed in a 1-0 thriller decided by a second-half goal.
Here, though, it was just a sectional quarterfinal between B’ville, the no. 4 seed, and F-M, the no. 5 seed, held last Thursday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
Again, it was close, but just when it looked like it would take overtime (at least) to settle matters), Alex Pompo delivered a knockout blow and the Bees prevailed in yet another 1-0 decision.
Going in, B’ville had most of the momentum, since it had won six straight games, among them a 3-0 win over F-M exactly two weeks earlier, on Oct. 8. The playoff rematch would contain a lot more tension.
They played through a 0-0 first half, and the second half followed in that same manner. B’ville’s defense, a strength throughout its late-season surge, thwarted all of F-M’s attacks, with goalie Andrew Hahn playing the entire game in the net and earning six saves.
For his part, Hornets netminder Mike Baril also had eight saves, and with his work, the Hornets fought toward a possible OT session – or so it thought.
With just 2:40 left in regulation, B’ville attacked again. Evan Ingersoll, having emerged as a sparkplug for the Bees’ attack, delivered the timely pass and Pompo, who entered the night with a team-high 11 goals, added his 12th, firing it past Baril for the game-winner.
Sporting an 11-4-2 mark, B’ville heads into the sectional semifinals Thursday night at Fulton and will try and topple top seed Liverpool, who got past Utica Proctor 2-1 in its quarterfinal. Game time is 6 p.m. The winner plays Nottingham or Cicero-North Syracuse in the Nov. 2 final, also at Fulton, as the Bees seek a seventh sectional title in nine years.
Meanwhile, the B’ville girls soccer team, the top seed in its sectional Class AA bracket, would wait two weeks from the end of its regular season until it returned for the sectional semifinal Tuesday at Christian Brothers Academy’s Alibrandi Stadium against a no. 4 seed, West Genesee, a team it already beat twice this fall.
A third win would mean a trip for the Bees to the sectional final, which takes place Saturday at 1 p.m. at Fulton, against Liverpool or F-M.
