CENTRAL NEW YORK – One common trait throughout the early portion of the Baldwinsville field hockey season was its struggles to find a consistent offensive rhythm regardless of the quality of the opponent.
Such adversity was found again in last Monday’s match against Auburn before a third-quarter surge with a pair of goals allowed the Bees to get away and beat the Maroons 3-0.
It was just 1-0 at halftime before B’ville struck twice, led again by Abigail Mantione, who netted one goal and added an assist, the other goals going to Rylie Rachwal and Leah Kalil. Auburn managed just two shots all night.
Back in league action Wednesday to face Fayeteville-Manlius, the Bees overcame another brilliant individual effort from the Hornets’ Carlye Bryant and pulled out a 3-2 victory.
These same two teams had met just 11 days earlier at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium and had gone to overtime before B’ville pulled it out 2-1, all the motivation that F-M needed for the rematch.
Bryant, who entered the game with 12 goals, added goals 13 and 14 to that total which, on most days, may have proved enough. But everything else got turned back by a busy B’ville defense constantly under attack.
Stopping 18 of the 20 shots she faced, goalie Chloe Butler inspired the rest of the Bees, especially Mantione, who put in her own pair of goals and got help from Kalil, who also converted.
These wins moved the Bees’ overall record to 4-3, but to stay above the .500 mark B’ville would have to prevail at Camden on Friday night.
It did not quite happen, with the Blue Devils prevailing 2-1 by equaling Mantione’s first-quarter goal with one from Camryn Shenk, with Shenk returning to convert again in the second period.
Throughout the entire second half B’ville had opportunities to pull back even, but could not get anything more past Camden goalie Alyssa Vera, whose six saves equaled that of Butler.
A quiet week follows for B’ville, with only a non-league game this Friday against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill before the rest of the league slate gets underway.
