If set pieces were an aspect commanding urgent attention for Bayfield girls soccer in 2026, the Wolverines had more than enough opportunity to practice them to relative perfection Tuesday afternoon in Ignacio.
Despite widespread inexperience, Ignacio managed to prevent the Wolverines from cashing in on all but one corner kick, but the 15th proved to be the charm.
Standing at IHS senior goalie Bella Lorenzini’s back post while awaiting junior Jacqueline Boyce’s service from the opposite side, junior Kambria Bailey kept her concentration long enough to nudge the ball, slightly deflected by Lorenzini after it got through front-post traffic, over the goal line and cap a 10-0 road win in the 55th minute.
It was Bailey’s first varsity goal, so it was a nerve-wracking experience for her, but the perfect way for the Wolverines to finish their second win of the season.
“She’s a defender, so we were all excited to see her get her first goal,” said senior Arriyanna Cundiff-Huerta, who scored in the 28th, 31st, 33rd and 44th minutes – the latter being BHS’ first strike after intermission, increasing the guests’ lead to 7-0.
Boyce nearly got scoring at IHS Field started shortly after kickoff, but shot her second-minute penalty kick high. Lorenzini, one of second-year head coach Gretchen Gruber’s co-captains and most battle-tested players, then stopped Cundiff-Huerta’s 20-yard try in the sixth minute and alertly smothered Cundiff-Huerta’s pass – through an Ignacio defender’s legs – to unguarded junior Mia Sager in the seventh.
But after Sager broke through and finished in the eighth minute, the Wolverines, who’d started their season the previous afternoon with a 4-0 victory at non-league 2A Del Norte, had all the momentum they’d need, though Ignacio remained just a goal down through the 22nd minute, thanks to Brown zipping a 25-yard free kick wide left in the 17th and Lorenzini somehow stopping senior Avery Shipman’s 20th minute shot from closer in with a desperate backhanded swat.
The ’Cats (0-1 overall) were then whistled for a second hand-ball inside their 18-yard box, and freshman Lucy Hubbert rang the awarded penalty kick off Lorenzini’s crossbar and out of bounds. Persistence at last paid off for Bayfield and new head coach Josh Kitchen – a former assistant years ago to longtime leader Jen Zelinski, when Cundiff-Huerta intercepted a Lorenzini goal kick meant for sophomore Avanna Cook and quickly shot the ball into a compromised net to put BHS up 2-0.
Cundiff-Huerta then tapped in the visitors’ third goal, finishing off a Shipman attempt which somehow squeezed through Lorenzini’s legs despite losing much of its pace after glancing off one of the keeper’s gams and then completed her hat trick by converting a cross, nearly redirected away by Cook, from freshman Eden Krokos.
Boyce made the score 5-0 in the 37th via her Shipman-assisted strike, Brown scored in the 45th with a long chip of a pass provided by junior Hailey Robinette, and Krokos logged BHS’ ninth goal in the 50th with a shot almost perfectly paralleling Lorenzini’s line.
Lorenzini totaled, unofficially, 11 saves in defeat while Wolverine counterpart Lily Muir, also a senior, needed to make none though she did come well off her line to prevent a couple of IHS rushes from developing into something dangerous.
Bayfield (2-0 overall) was to next visit Ridgway on Thursday, but results were unavailable at press time.
“Coming into that knowing that we can all play as a team and communicate, be all together, is really important,” said Bailey. “We have a lot of strong players and a lot of variety – I really like playing with them – so I’m really excited.”
Ignacio was to welcome Pagosa Springs on Thursday, but results were also unavailable at press time.
