ONONDAGA COUNTY – Though it still had plenty of room to grow as the season went along, the Baldwinsville girls soccer team still had to feel quite happy about the way things started in 2021 – at least in the first three games, anyway.
An exciting 2-2 draw with Rochester Mercy in the Aug. 31 opener was followed, three days later, by a trip to Whitesboro that proved challenging in its own right.
Still, the Bees were able to defeat the Warriors 1-0, having Emma Warren’s early goal, assisted by Kelsey Dwyer, stand up the rest of the way.
A quickly improving B’ville defense absorbed enough pressure throughout the afternoon, but limited Whitesboro to four shots, all stopped by Alexandra Gomez.
All this led to the Bees’ Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division opener last Wednesday at West Genesee, whose own 1-0-1 start included its own exciting 2-2 draw against an East Syracuse Minoa side that was unbeaten and untied in 2020.
Fun as those games were, what the Bees and Wildcats produced was on another level, with momentum shifts, comebacks and a pair of lead changes before B’ville finally pulled it out in a 4-3 classic.
Not even nine minutes had passed before Jayden Kantak’s successful free kick had put the Bees in front 1-0, and within seven minutes the Wildcats had answered with two goals to surge out in front, Ellie McMahon tying it and Anna Nelson earning the go-ahead tally.
Even with this, B’ville retorted, Makaelyn Nievel tying it again, 2-2, just past the midway point of the half before Warren converted in the 30th minute, firing in a long-range shot from the top corner.
Now the defenses settled down, with WG making adjustments and assuring that its 3-2 deficit did not increase. That effort was rewarded when, in the 52nd minute, the Wildcats tied it on Marisa Closson’s goal, assisted by Maria Snyder.
They were still 3-3 when, with six minutes left in regulation, B’ville broke out on a counterattack, Audra Salvagni able to get around the Wildcats’ defenders and then put the go-ahead goal past Jenna Orr.
That held up, the Bees overcoming 13 saves by Orr as Gomez finished with 11 saves. Eva Poissant and Giovanna Vigliotti each earned assists for the Wildcats.
Perhaps that game took a toll, given what transpired on a busy weekend where B’ville traveled to Jamesville-DeWitt Friday before returning home Saturday to face Rome Free Academy.
Against J-D, the Bees trailed 1-0 due to Megan Baker’s goal before tying it just before halftime on a goal by Liana Mostrianska.
A Red Rams penalty kick in the 52nd minute, put home by Baker, restored that advantage and, try as it could, B’ville could not overcome it, taking a 2-1 defeat.
Those struggles carried over into Saturday’s game against Rome Free Academy. Playing for the third time in four days, B’ville was shut out, 1-0, with Rebecca Redmond’s goal proving enough for the Black Knights.
Now the Bees had to go to Fayetteville-Manlius on Wednesday before games against Westhill and Vestal on the weekend, both played at the Wright National Soccer Complex in Oneonta.
