CICERO – In a span of less than 10 minutes, the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team alleviated, at least to a small degree, the pain it had felt for more than 10 months.
With seven unanswered goals to close out the first half, the Bees took control of Tuesday’s game against Cicero-North Syracuse at Bragman Stadium, eventually defeating the Northstars 12-5.
This was the first time these two teams had met since last June’s epochal Section III Class A final at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, when B’ville had chances to win in regulation and overtime, but C-NS prevailed 12-11 on Mackenzie Prentice’s goal in the second OT.
From the moment that game ended, Bees players were heavily motivated for this season, and after roaring to an 0-2 start it went to C-NS and showed both patience and poise through a quiet early stretch.
Brooke Malchanoff scored in the game’s opening minute for the Northstars – and for the next 30-plus minutes, B’ville’s defense, anchored by Sydney Huhtala, Maeve Bartell and Isabella Murabito, kept C-NS off the board, jumping in front of passes and forcing turnovers.
The Bees’ own attack was kept quiet early, too, but with the score tied 1-1, it all changed when, with 9:47 left in the first half, Mia Pozzi scored the tie-breaking goal.
Thirty seconds later, Brianna Peters made it 3-1, and Carlie Desimone followed with a goal of her own. Yet that was just the first of two scoring outbursts.
Within a 66-second span late in the half, Desimone scored twice and Grace Hollenbeck converted, too. And when Peters returned to score just 9.2 seconds before intermission, the Bees had a commanding 8-1 advantage.
Even with Fran Tortora netting three goals in the second half, C-NS could not recover. Desimone and Peters finished with four goals apiece, while Pozzi and Hollenbeck each scored twice. Goalie Samantha Tanguay made five saves as Sara Hunter and Emma Hollenbeck earned assists.
Good as this performance was, what B’ville did two days later against West Genesee may have topped it in the way the Bees fought back to pull out a dramatic 10-9 victory over the Wildcats.
WG’s attack was sharp in the first half, and when Julia Miller converted early in the second half, the Bees trailed 8-4, its defense struggling for the first time this season.
Even when B’ville was able to make up some ground, Courtney Reynolds scored and the Wildcats made it 9-6 with less than 10 minutes to play.
Despite all this, the Bees pulled back within one, 9-8. Then, with 53 seconds left, Peters tied it, and after B’ville chased down the ensuing draw, the ball was worked to Pozzi, who beat Allie Hanlon for the game-winner with 21.6 seconds to play.
Pozzi and Peters both scored three times as Peters added a pair of assists. Desmione got four assists as she and Sophia Muscolino netted two goals apiece. Grace Hollenbeck added an assist.
B’ville plays only once next week, a game April 22 against Section II’s Shenendehowa.
