Five years of waiting for the Baldwinsville girls soccer team to reclaim the Section III Class AA championship ended in the most emphatic way possible.
Between an aggressive, opportunistic attack and a solid, unbreakable defense, the Bees handled each phase of the game at a high level in Saturday’s AA final at Fulton, shutting out Liverpool 3-0.
And it only figured that Jade Gentile, a senior part of the program every year since that 2010 championship season, was a central figure, assisting on the first goal and scoring the second on the way to MVP honors.
“It’s amazing,” said Gentile. “We pushed through it, and I’m so proud of our team.”
B’ville head coach Kathy Morse said the West Virginia University-bound Gentile is an ideal leader for her team.
“Jade has got great heart and great determination, and on top of that she’s got great skill,” said Morse.
All season long, B’ville, no. 6 in the state AA rankings, and Liverpool, two spots behind the Bees at no. 8, had dominated the local AA ranks. Each of their two regular-season meetings went to overtime, with B’ville winning at home 1-0 on Sept. 18 and then settling for a 2-2 draw at LHS Stadium on Oct. 6.
Determined to avoid any kind of late drama, the Bees seized control of the title game from the outset, offering several threat before taking the lead 8:58 into the first half when Gentile, drawing a double team on the right side, passed to the middle, where Mackenzie Schaffner sent a shot past Liverpool goalie Julia Richey.
After that, though, B’ville relaxed a bit, and Liverpool put together its best chances of the game. Carli Kovarik sent a shot just wide in the 24th minute, and Christie Allen, with an even better look in the 33rd minute, also pulled her attempt wide of the net.
With B’ville clinging to that 1-0 lead at halftime, Morse told her team to win more of the 50-50 chances in the middle, and to apply more pressure on the other end, too.
Gentile listened, and delivered the game’s pivotal play in the 54th minute. With the ball on the left side, Gentile dribbled around a Liverpool defender, and when Richey ran out to meet her, Gentile drilled a hard shot inside the top right corner of the net.
“Jade just made an outstanding move and buried it,” said Morse.
Any hopes for a Warrior comeback got dashed by an active B’ville defense. Led by Gabby George, Gabby Piontkowski and Katie Weaver, the back line made life tough for the Warriors’ front line, so goalie Mackenzie Hanna did not have to make many big stops.
Another B’ville senior, Hailey Couchman, delivered the clinching goal with 5:43 left, and now the Bees could look ahead to a return to the state AA tournament.
Next Saturday at 1 p.m., the Bees travel east, to Stillwater, to face the Section II champions, Shenendehowa or Niskayuna, with the winner moving on to the Nov. 14-15 state final four in the Cortland-Homer area.
