Even in girls lacrosse, where a few players can carry the attack, having depth matters, and helps when things don’t go well in the early going.
Proof of this came in last Wednesday’s game between Westhill and Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes, where the Warriors overcame a poor start and dominated the latter stages to prevail 15-12.
During the first half, Ludden-Grimes won enough draws to put Westhill on the defensive, and Teresa Shattuck took full advantage, earning most of her six goals and two assists in this early sequence to push her side to an 8-5 lead at the break.
Yet when the draws started going in the Warriors’ favor during the second half, things changed. Ludden-Grimes found itself stretched out on the defensive end, and it couldn’t keep Westhill from outscoring them 10-4 the rest of the way.
Shelby Stack, with four goals and five assists, and Erin McMullen, who scored five times, led the comeback. Haileigh Farrell added two goals, with Lydia Gosson getting a goal and two assists. Natalie Jetter, Liz McAnaney and Caroline Miller had one goal apiece.
By contrast, Shattuck didn’t get as much help, though Jenn Vazquez did put up three goals and one assist, and Kellie Byrne managed a pair of goals. Molly McInerney notched two assists as Emma Driscoll also scored.
A day earlier, Westhill had an easy time of it during a 17-2 romp over Onondaga, grabbing a 12-1 lead by halftime so the entire second half was played with a running clock.
McMullen and Stack, with three goals apiece, led a well-balanced Warrior attack. Gosson had two goals and three assists, with Jetter getting two goals and two assists. Farrell also scored twice as McAnaney managed a goal and two assists. Dana Radin and Jayanna Monds earned the other goals.
Ludden-Grimes took a 20-8 defeat to reigning state Class C champion Skaneateles on Friday afternoon. Though Shattuck and Vazquez each scored three times, with single goals from Driscoll and Katy McInerney, the Lakers controlled matters, led by super sophomore Kyla Sears, who piled up five goals and two assists as Hannah Powers and Bailey Herr both got four goals and one assist.
Jordan-Elbridge, who itself is 2-0 on the season (but faces Skaneateles this week, as does Westhill), again leaned on the Malvaso sisters when it beat Tully 15-10 last Tuesday afternoon, a game that the Eagles led 9-6 at halftime and clung to with answers any time the Black Knights threatened late.
Marissa and Miranda Malvaso matched each other with five goals, and Antonia Malvaso finished with two goals and two assists as Alexis Malvaso also earned a pair of assists. Katie Goodrich, Annalea O’Brien and Alexis Switzer had one goal apiece. In the net, Anna Bozeat recorded 10 saves.
Marcellus got its week off to a tough start when it had to host Class A power Cicero-North Syracuse last Tuesday night, unable to keep up with the Northstars’ pace in a 15-9 defeat.
Even though Marcellus did find a fair amount of success against C-NS’s defense, with Ally Burrows scoring four times, it did not do so at the same rate as the Northstars, who steadily gained a 9-5 halftime lead and didn’t let the Mustangs get closer.
Other than Burrows, no other Marcellus player had multiple goals. Maddie Conklin did get a goal and three assists, while Grace Coon and Courtney Sayre each got one goal and one assist. Keelin Kelly and Lily Powell also found the net.
For C-NS, Meghan Duffy, Olivia Africa and Samantha Tortora each had three-goal hat tricks, with Duffy adding four assists and Africa and Tortora one assist apiece.
Two days later, the Mustangs handled Chittenango 19-7, seeing Burrows match the Bears by herself by scoring seven times and Cerrone nearly do so, too, earning six goals.
Conklin fed both of them with six assists, to go with three goals, as Coon, Katherine Locastro and Gianna Dixe had one goal apiece.
