A long-established and well-regarded girls lacrosse program receives a shot of energy from a young coach and plots a return to glory.
That perfectly fits the Baldwinsville profile – but also that of Fayetteville-Manlius, who turned to two of its greatest players, Kelly Tormey and her sister, Kristen Taylor, to take over coaching duties this season.
B’ville got to face F-M last Tuesday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, and not scared one bit by the Hornets’ no. 3 state Class B ranking, the state Class A no. 13-ranked Bees controlled the game’s tempo and prevailed by a 9-7 margin.
F-M had, the week before, beaten West Genesee for the first time in 11 years. However, the momentum built from that game, plus a 4-0 start overall, halted when the Hornets did not play again until its trip to B’ville, who was in good form following wins over Liverpool and Shenendehowa.
Dictating the game’s tempo, B’ville never allowed the Hornets to attack as much as it wanted. At halftime, the Bees led 5-4, and it kept exchanging goals the rest of the way, preventing any sort of Hornets run.
Largely, when B’ville attacked it was a two-player effort. Sara Goodwin poured in five goals, while Hannah Johnson finished with three goals and one assist. Maria Henwood had the other goal, with Peyton Fleming gaining an assist.
F-M was more balanced as Kiera Shanley finished with two goals and two assists. Amanda Cramer and Annie Steigerwald also scored twice, with Katie Shanley getting the other goal and Gemma Addonizio adding an assist. Busy in the net, F-M goalie Marie Angello made 11 saves to keep her team close.
Now it was time for B’ville to go on the road, first to Ohio to face Cleveland Heights on Thursday night, and then to Kentucky to take on South Laurel Saturday afternoon.
In the South Laurel game, the Bees rolled to a 17-4 victory, building most of the margin during a 12-2 first-half charge that Goodwin led. Eventually, Goodwin would reach double digits in points, scoring six times and adding four assists.
Johnson piled on five goals and one assist, with Henwood chiming in with four goals. Katie Pascale had a goal and two assists as Madeline Czyz earned the other goal. Peyton Fleming and Monica Lannier had one assist apiece.
Now at 6-2 overall, B’ville would get two major challenges this week, first in Tuesday’s home game at West Genesee, and then on Thursday when it visits Bragman Stadium to face Cicero-North Syracuse.
