CENTRAL NEW YORK – For the second time in as many games, the Baldwinsville boys soccer team found itself locked in a scoreless duel with a high-profile Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division opponent.
Except that in this case, it did not end that way.
The Bees’ 1-0, double-overtime victory over West Genesee last Tuesday in Camillus was yet another instance of the defense proving a saving grace when the attack was getting stifled.
Similar to the 0-0 draw with Fayetteville-Manlius on Sept. 11, B’ville again was limited to a handful of chances through the 80 minutes of regulation by a strong Wildcats back line.
Meanwhile, the Bees mostly kept things quiet in front of Emmett Bauer, who only had to make four saves, and that effort was rewarded when B’ville netted the game-winner with just 71 seconds left in the second OT.
When B’ville traveled to the Gillette Road complex to face Cicero-North Syracuse two nights later, it again proved to be a 1-0 victory, only this time it was decided in regulation.
Once more, the first half proved scoreless, a growing trend in B’ville’s games. Not wanting to have to go to OT for the third time in as many matches, the Bees avoided that fate when Tyler Williams, off a feed from Aidan Stan, put in the go-ahead goal in the second half.
Entering its week with a 2-2-1 record, the Baldwinsville girls soccer team suffered its third consecutive defeat last Wednesday at Fayetteville-Manlius, unable to get on track in a 1-0 defeat to the Hornets.
Shut out by that same margin by Rome Free Academy in its last outing Sept. 11, the Bees again found itself in catch-up mode after Sophia Leonard put in a goal in the 28th minute.
To its credit, B’ville prevented anything further, yet its own attack was mostly shut down, limited to just three shots, all stopped by Maya Ali.
At the Wright National Soccer Complex in Oneonta last Saturday, B’ville played Westhill to a 1-1 draw, going scoreless in regulation and falling behind 1-0 in the first OT on Lily Kinsella’s goal before drawing even midway through the second OT when Amelia Ponto converted on a free kick.
B’ville then defeated Vestal 3-0 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Madison Kennedy, Nadia Guzman and Liana Mostrianska as Audra Salvagni and Nicole Pelletier picked up assists.
After facing Vestal Sunday at Oneonta, the Bees have three more games this week, going to Cicero-North Syracuse Tuesday and East Syracuse Minoa on Saturday with a visit from Liverpool in between.
Meanwhile, the B’ville boys, with four consecutive shutouts, would attempt to extend that mark against Henninger and Corcoran before its own Saturday trip to Liverpool.
