As it earned back-to-back Section III Class AA titles and reached the state championship game in 2019, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls soccer team turned int a complete unit, effective in all phases of the game.
And while the offense always draws attention, it was the Hornets’ defense which was the featured part of last Monday afternoon’s 2-0 shutout over Baldwinsville at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
As it won its first three games – a payback agianst West Genesee, followed by solid victories over Liverpool and Jamesville-DeWitt – B’ville had leaned most of its attack on senior forward Hannah Mimas, who had netted six of her team’s eight goals.
F-M knew this, and centered its defense on slowing up Mimas wherever possible as the likes of Ryann Duakusz, Alora Miller, Amelia Haight and Lilian Coleman worked on the back line, breaking up whatever arrived.
And while it didn’t always work, but Mimas and her teammates saw all six of their shots stopped by Hornets goalie Sydney Mahr.
Against the Bees’ defense, F-M didn’t need to be spectacular, as one goal in each half sufficed. Again, Lauren Clark was at the forefront, scoring once off a fed from Morgan Goodman and assisting on Sophia TenEyck’s tally.
Two nights later, F-M was taking on East Syracuse Minoa but finding itself on the wrong end of a 1-0 defeat, unable to answer a goal from the Spartans’ Angelina Polcaro in the opening minutes.
Sparked by two spectacular early stops from ESM goalkeeper Isabelle Chavoustie, ESM’s defense, led by Abby Hudgins and Katie Cox, followed Clark and Goodman everywhere, and with help from others in the back line the Spartans’ thin one-goal margin held up.
Hosting Whitesboro on Saturday, F-M took out some frustrations from the previous game on the Warriors, doing enough to claim another 2-0 decision.
For the second consecutive game, Clark was held without a point. To make up for it, Goodman and Kat Amico were able to put in goals and defender Ryann Dauksza got credit for an assist.
Two more road games remained for F-M, both of them this week as it would again take on Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse.
