ONONDAGA COUNTY – With its big late-season push, the Baldwinsville boys soccer team gave itself the best possible chance to reclaim the crown it wants the most.
As the Section III Class AA playoffs loomed, the Bees shook off two defeats to Fayetteville-Manlius by unleashing its attack agianst other SCAC Metro division foes.
B’ville overwhelmed Henninger last Tuesday night, blanking the Black Knights 5-0 with a big effort from Evan Smith, who not only scored twice, but earned a pair of assists.
Johan Savage nearly matched that total, getting two goals and one assist, while Abraham Cavalieri had the other goal, his first of the season. Aiden Baker got two assists and Keagan Hayes added an assist.
It was even more lopsided Thursday night when, in its last regular-season home game, B’ville bashed Corcoran 5-0, able to score four times in the second half to get away after the Cougars stayed close early.
Over in girls soccer, Baldwinsville sought a high-profile win last Tuesday against visiting West Genesee and got close to it, but lost 2-1 to the Wildcats.
WG had built a 2-0 margin thanks to one goal in each half, scored by Anna Nelson and Marissa Closson. B’ville pulled within one when Audra Salvagni scored with seven minutes left in regulation, but it could not force overtime. Carlie Young finished with eight saves.
At least B’ville got on the board against the Wildcats, something it could not pull off two nights later when it took a 3-0 defeat to Fayetteville-Manlius.
Bitter from a double-overtime defeat to Liverpool earlier in the week, the Hornets took it out on B’ville, with Lexi Caron able to put in a pair of goals and Morgan Goodman earning the other goal. F-M’s defense limited the Bees to just three shots all night.
In Friday’s regular-season finale, B’ville met state Class D no. 2-ranked Bishop Ludden and was able to piece together a 2-1 victory over the Gaelic Knights.
They traded first-half goals, but in the second half the Bees pulled out of the 1-1 tie and held on from there, having seen Nadia Guzman and Maddie Simons pick up goals, with Salvagni and Natalie Hollingshead earning assists.
B’ville’s girls would miss out on the sectional playoffs, but the boys picked up the no. 5 seed, which means a quarterfinal against no. 4 seed Cicero-North Syracuse Wednesday night at Bragman Stadium at 7 p.m. The winner likely gets top seed F-M in the Oct. 25 semifinals.
