BALDWINSVILLE – Just two wins separate the Baldwinsville boys soccer team from repeating as Section III Class AAA champions – something their girls counterparts achieved without having to go through any early-round playoff drama.
As the top seed in the seven-team sectional AAA bracket, the girls Bees had a bye straight into the semifinals where, next Wednesday night at Jamesville-DeWitt, it will face no. 5 seed Rome Free Academy, who ousted no. 4 seed Liverpool 2-1 on an overtime goal by Amelia Furbeck.
Whoever wins between B’ville and RFA gets to the finals against no. 2 seed Cicero-North Syracuse or no. 3 seed Fayetteville-Manlius next Saturday night at 7:30 at SUNY-Cortland.
As the girls Bees practiced all week, B’ville’s boys mostly did the same, with the only difference that, with an eight-team bracket, it would have to go through a quarterfinal first.
That game Friday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium pitted the no. 3 seed Bees against no. 6 seed Christian Brothers Academy, who won the sectional Class AA title a year ago but had gone 6-8-2 this season after heavy graduation losses.
Ready to get going, B’ville jumped all over the Brothers in a dominant first half which decided matters and led to a 5-1 victory.
Four different times in those first 40 minutes, B’ville was able to find the net, the attack led by Dylan Blaisdell, a junior who had just two goals all season but struck for two more here.
Balancing things out well among its top skill players, the Bees had Owen Daly, Will Stevens and Aidan Holcomb each earn a goal and assist, with Lucas Corbett also contributing an assist. Splitting time in the net, Enzo Falso and Sawyer Barr managed eight total saves.
Now it’s B’ville challenging no. 2 seed F-M Wednesday night in the sectional AAA semifinal at Fulton, right after the first semifinal between Liverpool and C-NS. The winners return to Fulton Nov. 4 at 7:15 to play for the sectional title.
