In many ways, this was the boys soccer showdown everyone wanted to see last fall.

Baldwinsville’s path to the 2019 Section III Class AA championship was considerably eased when it main challenger, Fayetteville-Manlius, was taken down by Liverpool in a sectional quarterfinal upset.

Now, with most of its top players back, the Hornets had torn through its early opposition and awaited B’ville for a Monday-afternoon battle at Swan Pond.

B’ville went there off another successful week that kicked off last Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool in its home opener at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.

Unlike its 2-1 overtime win over West Genesee on Oct. 2, the Bees did not wait to take charge, getting first-half goals from Drew Gates and James Brussel as Jacob Daley and Chase Hornsey earned assists.

Though Liverpool’s defense was able to keep B’ville off the board the rest of the way, its attack did not put too much of a scare into the Bees’ back line.

For a Friday-night test, B’ville would travel to face defending sectional Class A champion Jamesville-DeWitt, who had blanked Auburn 3-0 in its season opener earlier in the week.

This one resembled the West Genesee game in terms of the result, B’ville pulling it out 2-1 as Gates and Griffin Seeber were able to pick up goals, Daley adding an assist.

The Red Rams made it interesting when Sam Bobrek took a pass from Johnny Keib and converted, yet nothing else got past Owen Tracy, who finished with four saves. J-D counterpart Sam Allen had seven saves.

Once the Bees were done with its trip to F-M, it would prepare for a Friday visit from Cicero-North Syracuse.