ONONDAGA COUNTY – Rarely in its entire history has the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team dealt with anything like three consecutive defeats to open its season, the search for a victory getting more urgent with each contest.
The Bees had three chances to change that narrative, but the first was a particularly difficult one against visiting West Genesee last Tuesday night that resulted in a frustrating 9-7 defeat.
Throughout the first half, the Bees were able to play at the tempo it wanted and flash plenty of defense. Both of these things translated into a 5-4 lead B’ville took into the break.
For the rest of the game, though, WG’s defense turned the game around, limiting B’ville to just two goals in those last periods while seeing Mia Gialto (four goals), Molly Doran (three goals) and Sophia Lawrence (two goals, two assists) lead the way.
Two B’ville players, Peyton Dyl and Olivia Bartlett, had two goals apiece. Lea Otts got one goal and one assist, with Sierra Natoli and Jaya Madigan also converting. Bella Gebhardt, in goal, recorded nine saves as Wildcats goalie Allie Hanlon, with seven saves, bcame the state’s all-time save leader with 531 (the previous mark was 527).
At Fayetteville-Manlius two nights later, the Bees again found itself in a close contest, demonstrating marked improvement in its attack, yet still finding itself on the wrong end of a 14-13 decision.
F-M had not beaten B’ville since 2019, and the visitors’ seven-game win streak in this series appeared safe when the Bees fought its way to a 9-7 lead early in the third quarter.
Roaring back, though, the Hornets went on a 7-1 run that stretched deep into the final period, the comeback led by Julianna Cogliandro, who had five goals and one assist, and Taylor Novack, who got three goals and three assists.
B’ville almost forced overtime, though, with three late goals before F-M was able to hang on. Still, Dyl set a new season mark, scoring four times as Otts finished with three goals and two assists.
Raegan Ratliff and Gisella Trousdale both converted twice, with Bartlett getting a goal and two assists. Jaya Madigan had the other goal and Natoli gained an assist, the Bees thwarted by Hornets goalie Micaela Jennings, whose 13 saves were more than twice Gebhardt’s total of six.
Then, in Saturday’s game at Jamesville-DeWitt, the Bees went cold on the offensive end, not able to produce much as the Red Rams controlled the pace from the outset and prevailed by a 10-5 margin.
Dyl and Ratliff both scored twice, but the only other goal went to Madigan, who also got an assist. Eight of the Bees’ 13 shots were turned back by J-D goalie Lucy Keib as Merris Kessler (three goals) and Caroline Stone (two goals, one assist) paced the Rams’ attack.
This rare six-game skid for the Bees is put on the line Monday at Section V’s Brighton, with a return home Thursday to face Liverpool and a Saturday trip east to face Section II’s Shenendehowa.
