Here was the week where the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team would really find out where it stood relative to most of the other Section III Class A title contenders.
And for the most part, the Bees proved its worth, especially in last Wednesday’s game at West Genesee, where it squandered a four-goal lead in regulation, but recovered to beat the Wildcats 8-7 in overtime.
It appeared that B’ville had caught WG in a vulnerable position, with the Wildcats having lost to Cicero-North Syracuse earlier that same week.
That feeling persisted even after Maidsyn Schaut’s pair of goals allowed WG to break a 1-1 tie. The Bees closed the first half strong, netting three straight goals, and did the same thing early in the second half, establishing a 7-3 lead.
Somehow, the Wildcats would recover, ending its drought with Phoebe Nelson’s goal, and then striking twice more to cut the margin to 7-6 before Mackenzie Winn scored with 59 seconds left in regulation to tie it.
But while it seemed the Wildcats had all the momentum going into overtime, it was B’ville earning the draw and taking just 30 seconds to decide it as Katie Pascale netted the game-winner.
Pascale got two assists before her game-winner, with the B’ville trio of Maria Henwood, Peyton Fleming and Sara Goodwin each scoring twice as Emma States also scored. Sam Detor anchored WG’s attack, earning three assists.
Before all this, the Bees welcomed its next-door neighbors from Liverpool to Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium last Monday night. Amid the season’s worst playing conditions, B’ville used a surge late in the first half as the turning point to beat the Warriors 9-5.
Liverpool had gone out in front 3-2, but in the last eight minutes of the half the Bees put together four unanswered goals, the only real spurt either side would put together.
Up 6-3 at the break, B’ville did a strong job protecting that lead thanks to its defense, which held the Warriors to two goals in the second half as Molly Merryweather stopped 10 of the 15 shots she faced overall.
Seven different Bees players scored, with only Goodwin and Hannah Johnson finding the net twice. States, Henwood, Pascale, Sarah Klein and Monica Lannier gained one goal apiece.
Now the question was whether B’ville could win big again as it hosted Shenendehowa (Section II) on Saturday afternoon. The answer proved emphatic as the Bees dominated on both ends of the field early and went on to beat the Plainsmen 13-6.
While it always had the strong defense, B’ville found proficiency on the other end during a tremendous first half against Shen. From claiming draws to finishing off charges to the net, the Bees didn’t let up until it had built an 8-1 advantage.
Goodwin would outscore the Plainsmen by herself, finding the net six times to set a career mark. Pascale helped out with three goals and one assist, while Henwood got two goals.
Fleming got two assists as Cassidy Hayward had one goal and one assist. Johnson also had a goal and States contributed an assist. Between them, Merryweather and Jordan Roy had nine total saves.
So the Bees were 6-2 at the midway point of the regular season, eager to take on Cicero-North Syracuse Monday before a road trip later this week that includes a game against Virginia’s Bishop Sullivan.
