For the Baldwinsville field hockey team, it could not have gone better.
Despite getting saddled with six consecutive road games to open its season, the Bees managed to win all of them, taking down some big names (Cazenovia, Cicero-North Syracuse) along the way as it looked forward to a game on the new Field Turf at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
Of those road games, few were as exciting as last Monday’s visit to Liverpool, where the likes of Shylea Dukat kept converting on chances to overcome some shaky defense and produce a 5-3 victory over the Warriors.
Liverpool changed coaches this fall. Kim Dominick, who led the Warriors to 10 Section III Class A titles in her 20-year tenure, stepped down, and Nicole Charles, one of Dominick’s former players, took over.
Regardless of who was in charge, though, the Bees carried the confidence of four consecutive wins to the LHS Stadium turf, and grabbed a 2-1 halftime lead. During an active second half, Liverpool kept trying to come back, and every time Dukat and the rest of the B’ville attack answered.
For the night, Dukat produced three goals, a hat trick which gave her 10 goals for the season, and added an assist. Mary Cate McKee had one goal and one assist, with Amanda Strenk also scoring. Mackenzie Wodka picked up an assist.
On Liverpool’s side, three different players – Emily Popp, Bri Socker and Katrina Bragan – picked up the three goals, and it took Brittany Cussen making 11 saves to keep B’ville from getting more. For her part, Bees goalie Abigail Timmins had five saves.
One more stop on the six-game road trip remained, B’ville going to Homer on Friday night and unloading its attack as Strenk put together a record-setting performance that did not abate until the Bees had pummeled the Trojans 14-1.
Nine of those goals came in the first half alone, and Strenk, both with her shots and passes, reached double digits in points, amassing four goals and six assists. Dukat wasn’t quiet, either, earning five assists to go with her pair of tallies.
Chloe Lynch notched a three-goal hat trick, with McKenzie Carroll matching Dukat by converting twice. Lauren Brushingham had one goal and one assist. Emma Brushingham and Sarah Tise had the other goals as Mackenzie Wodka and Olivia Wachob earned assists.
The long-awaited home opener, on Monday night against Cortland, would predate a rematch between B’ville and Liverpool on Wednesday at Pelcher-Arcaro.
