CENTRAL NEW YORK – As the Baldwinsville field hockey team got set to welcome Cicero-North Syracuse to Pelcher-Arcarto Stadium on Monday night, it did so with the total confidence borne out of winning 11 consecutive games.
Part of that record is a regular-season sweep of its neighbors from Liverpool, whom the Bees handled again in a 4-1 victory last Monday night at LHS Stadium.
Having already blanked the Warriors 4-0 on Sept. 8, the Bees were steady in the rematch, striking for one goal in each quarter to gradually pull away.
Julia Schultz scored twice, with Bridget Roy getting a goal and assist. Sydney Huhtala netted the other goal as Willow Smith and Ava Hettler gained assists, too.
Then it was a rematch Thursday with the Holland Patent side it beat 3-2 in the Aug. 31 season opener, and again it proved quite a battle, but again B’ville emerged on top, edging the Golden Knights 2-1.
Having rarely dealt with a deficit this fall, the Bees found itself trailing 1-0 in the first quarter when HP’s Madison Oliver took a pass from Michaela Cushman and put it past goalie Caley Gee.
From there, though, Gee stopped everything and finished with six saves overall, and the Bees pulled even, 1-1, thanks to Huhtala netting her seventh goal of the season in the second quarter.
They stayed tied until early in the fourth quarter. B’ville broke out of its end and, with open field, Schultz charged to the net and fired home the go-ahead goal, running her season total to 14, tops among the Bees.
The Bees return to Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium Monday and put its 11-game win streak on the line in a rematch with Cicero-North Syracuse, whom it beat in a 2-1 thriller Sept. 14. Games against East Syracuse Minoa and Pittsford follow later in the week.
