ONONDAGA COUNTY – Big as it was for the Fayetteville-Manlius field hockey team to upend Cicero-North Syracuse on Sept. 17, Baldwinsville had knocked off the Northstars earlier that same week.

So first place in the SCAC Metro division was at stake last Thursday night when the Hornets hosted the Bees, and it proved a tense, closely-fought match, but F-M ended up on the wrong end of another 1-0 decision.

For most of the game, the Hornets’ defense prevented the sort of all-out attack C-NS had unleashed a week earlier, and goalie Kaleigh Hamilton only had to make six saves.

However, F-M rarely got chances of its own, limited to three shots all night, and when Emma Hollenbeck converted off a feed from Sydney Huhtala, B’ville went ahead to stay. The two sides meet again Oct. 12/

As for East Syracuse Minoa, who would face F-M Monday in a rematch of their Sept. 2 tournament final won by the Hornets, it took a 1-4 record into last Monday’s game against Auburn and could not improve on it, falling 2-1 to the Maroons.

Jenna Orlando converted for the Spartans, with goalies Maura Leib and Mollie Comstock combining for 10 saves. But Auburn goalie Zarya White had seven saves and goals by Lauren Lowe and Finley Hogan helped the Maroons prevail.

After it played F-M, ESM would take on Cortland Tuesday and visit Cicero-North Syracuse Friday – the same C-NS side the Hornets would meet in a Tuesday rematch prior to a Thursday trip to Rome Free Academy.