CENTRAL NEW YORK – On its way to a 5-6 start, one of the most frustrating setback for the Fayetteville-Manlius field hockey team was its Sept. 11 defeat to Baldwinsville, where it gave up a single goal and could not answer it.

But when these two long-time league rivals met again last Monday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, it went in the Hornets’ favor as patience and ball control led to another 1-0 decision that was more favorable.

Much of the game was spent in the Bees’ end, with F-M probing and, most of the time, unable to get anything past B’ville goalei Chloe Butler, who recorded seven saves.

Meanwhile, B’ville rarely got a chance to attack, held to a single shot by the Hornets’ defense, and that would get rewarded when Brooke Southwick nabbed the game’s only goal.

Now F-M went home, playing last Wednesday against Whitesboro where its offense, which had not scored more than twice in any single game in four weeks, broke out in the course of a 4-0 victory.

It was 3-0 by halftime, Carlye Bryant leading the charge as she put in a pair of goals, helped by single tallies from Sophia Lobo and Natalie Rameas. The Hornets’ defense held Whitesboro to just three shots.

East Syracuse Minoa put up a great fight on a wet Saturday afternoon against defending sectional Class D champion Morrisville-Eaton, but lost 1-0 on Molly Orth’s fourth-quarter goal. In defeat, Maya Boots made five saves.

This followed up another 1-0 defeat to Auburn last Tuesday night that followed the same pattern, with the Spartans keeping it scoreless for three quarters and Boots making six saves, but the Maroons going in front late on McKenna Wilmot’s shot.