A whole lot had changed for the Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius field hockey teams since they met last fall for the Section III Class A championship.
While the Bees had returned for 2016 loaded with talent and determination to take that last step to a title, the Hornets took large losses to graduation and saw long-time head coach Cynthia Vulcano step down, replaced by one of her former players, Kristen Gallivan.
The gap between the two sides was quite evident in last Monday night’s game at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, where B’ville took apart F-M’s defenses and didn’t let up until it had put away the Hornets by a 7-0 margin.
F-M found itself under assault from the outset, the Bees taking more than 30 shots. And though Hornets goalie Catherine Barr did make 27 saves, she could not prevent B’ville from converting on a fairly regular basis.
Shylea Dukat’s three goals gave her a hat trick, while Amanda Strenk had a goal and two assists. Mackenzie Wodka scored twice as Sydney Tse produced her first goal of the season.
That gave the Bees a 10-0 record, and it went for 11 wins in a row Friday night, in the first round of the Knight Time Tournament at Rome Free Academy Stadium, where it handled the challenge of the host RFA Black Knights and prevailed by a 4-1 margin.
Here, a fast start made all the difference, B’ville getting in front 3-1 by halftime as it overcame Nicolina Castrovino’s first-half goal that got RFA on the board. Strenk, in addition to her goal, picked up a pair of assists as Dukat, Wodka and Chloe Lynch also earned goals, Lynch and Wodka adding assists of their own.
Cicero-North Syracuse beat Holland Patent 3-0 in the other part of the opening round, setting up a final between two CNY Counties League rivals that the Bees would take again, rolling past the Northstars 3-1.
They had already met Sept. 9 at Bragman Stadium, B’ville squeaking out a 3-2 victory, its closest of the season, and were set to play again on Monday before the tournament final where, again, the Northstars offered a stern challenge.
Jamie Wagner scored early, assisted by Abbey Szumloz, to get C-NS on the board, but the Bees still took a 2-1 lead to halftime and, utilizing its defense, broke up all kinds of Northstars runs.
Dukat would convert two of B’ville’s three goals. Strenk netted the other goal, with Olivia Wachob and Lauren Brushingham picking up assists. Timmons was terrific, too, stopping eight of the nine shots she faced.
At 12-0, the Bees were two weeks and four games from finishing a perfect regular season, but that would inolve beating C-NS again at home on Monday, plus a Wednesday visit from East Syracuse, whom it faces twice in as many weeks before closing out Oct. 15 at Fayetteville-Manlius.
