Quite unlike many of its peers in the local large-school ranks, each of Baldwinsville’s lacrosse teams enter the 2019 season enjoying relative stability.
On the girls side, B’ville had just five seniors graduate from last year’s squad that fell to eventual state champion CBA in the Section III Class A semifinals, so it was quite eager to get going again.
And in the season’s opening week, the Bees would play three times, winning them all, capped by Saturday’s impressive 17-8 win over Cicero-North Syracuse at Bragman Stadium.
It was the tail end of two games less than 24 hours apart, and in the first of them B’ville had to travel to Brighton (a state Class B finalist last spring) and go to overtime to defeat the Barons 6-5.
Following a 4-4 first half, B’ville and Brighton mostly leaned on their respective defenses, each side converting just once and seeing the game spill over into OT, where the Bees quickly gained possession and Katie Pascale earned a free possession – which she converted into the decisive goal.
It was Pascale’s third goal of the night, to go with an assist. Emma Gebhardt scored twice as Hannah Johnson picked up the other goal and Jordan Roy finished with five saves.
With no time to rest, B’ville visited C-NS and proceeded to score at will on them during the first half, amassing a 12-3 lead as six different players found the net.
The Northstars would recover enough to pull within five, 12-7, early in the second half, but the Bees’ defense settled down and only allowed one more goal in the last 21-plus minutes of the game.
Six different players scored at least twice, with Gebhardt’s four goals setting the pace. Pascale and Jenna Pastore both scored three times, Pascale adding two assists as Johnson, Olivia Muscolino and Sophia Cavallaro each earned two goals. Emma States put up a goal and two assists.
Before this, both B’ville and C-NS had back-to-back games against Rush-Henrietta, from Section V. While the Northstars lost, the Bees had a different outcome, claiming its opener 12-6 over the Royal Comets.
Gradually, the Bees assumed control, pulling away after it led 5-3 at halftime, Cavallaro leading a well-balanced attack, notching three goals and adding a pair of assists.
Gebhardt also scored three times, while Pascale earned two goals and two assists. Muscolino also found the net twice as single goals went to States and Johnson.
Compared to all this, B’ville’s boys lacrosse team had a quieter opening week, but when it took the field Saturday against Rochester McQuaid, it didn’t prove too stressful as the Bees outclassed the Knights 13-5.
Other than a first quarter where McQuaid found the net three times, B’ville proved stingy, its defense peaking in the third period when it shut out the Knights, allowing the Bees to score five times without an answer.
Austin Bolton anchored the attack, notching five assists to go with his pair of goals. Adam Davis got three goals, with Spencer Wirtheim and Mike Tangredi each matching Bolton’s two-goal output.
Braden McCard got two assists. Garrett Petrelli had a goal and assist as Braden Lynch, Noah Ravas and Cameron Slink also found the net.
B’ville was home again to face Cazenovia Tuesday before Section V powerhouse Victor shows up this Saturday at 1 p.m., right before the girls Bees take on Cleveland Heights, from Ohio.
