The lone interest for the Baldwinsville girls soccer team is to wrest top honors in the Section III Class AA ranks from its neighbors at Liverpool, but first it would have two other big rivals in what has turned into a five-team Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division.
In the first of those league battles last Tuesday night, the Bees faced Fayetteville-Manlius, not taking control until the second half, but still managing a 3-1 victory over the Hornets amid foggy conditions at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
Thanks to Rachel Dobricki’s goal late in the first half and solid work from Sabrina Suriani (who had 10 saves), the game was still 1-1 when Hannah Mimas powered home the go-ahead goal in the second half. It was one of two tallies on the night for Mimas as Laura Kick got credit for an assist.
Two nights later, the Bees visited West Genesee, whose early-season stretch had included a 1-0 win over Class A powerhouse Jamesville-DeWitt the week before. This didn’t really impress B’ville, who converted early and answered late to beat the Wildcats in another 3-1 decision.
Having notched the only goal of the first half, the Bees countered WG’s tally by Haley Elsey with two more in the latter stages. Mimas, Kick and Simone Neivel each put shots in the net, with assists credited to Kelsey DeLola, Katie Pascale and Graisa Madden.
For its first two games of the season on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, B’ville would take on a pair of Section II opponents, Saratoga Springs and Bethlehem, who were also facing Liverpool on the same opening-week road trip.
B’ville first defeated Saratoga 2-1. a goal in each half proving enough as Pascale assisted on both scoring plays, the goals going to DeLola and Gwenyth Madden. Saratoga had plenty of chances to catch up, but between them goalies Alexis Huff and Meaghan Wilson made seven saves.
Now the Bees faced Bethlehem, whom Liverpool had defeated 3-1 the day before. This game proved closer, and was in doubt right until the final horn, but the Bees pulled out a 1-0 decision over the Eagles.
Improving upon how it played the day before, B’ville’s defense limited Bethlehem to a handful of opportunities, Wilson only having to make two direct saves. Still, that work was not rewarded until Mimas put in the game’s lone goal during the second half.
Yet another non-league test awaited the Bees a week later in a trip to the Wright National Soccer Complex in Oneonta. First, B’ville shut out Rochester Mercy 3-0, all of the goals coming in the second half as Mimas converted twice, with Pascale and Nievel earning assists.
Now it faced Islip, who the day before had defeated Liverpool 1-0. The Buccaneers made it back-to-back wins against Section III powers, topping the Bees 4-2 despite goals by Nievel and Carolyn Brussel, with Wilson having to make 14 saves.
After all this, the Bees returned home Tuesday to take on CBA and meet Chenango Forks, the reigning state Class B champions, on Saturday afternoon.
