Having endured plenty of adversity this fall, the Skaneateles girls soccer team still found enough to comfortably qualify for the Section III Class B playoffs.
The Lakers go there with an 8-7-1 mark after a tough final week of the regular season where it had to deal with the reigning state Class B co-champions and a state-ranked foe in the beginning and end of a five-day stretch.
It all started last Tuesday at Westhill, where the Warriors may not quite resemble its 2017 championship side, but still has plenty of strong players on hand, especially Erica Gangemi, who particularly hurt the Lakers in a 2-1 decision.
They played through a scoreless first half, and Skaneateles got on the board late thanks to an unassisted goal by Grace Dower.
Meanwhile, Grace Kush was busy accumulating eight saves, the same total as Westhill counterpart Lauren Bendall, yet that did not prove enough as the Warriors got Erica Gangemi to score one goal and assist on another, by Ciarra Rudnick, to prevail.
From there, Skaneateles traveled to Solvay on Thursday afternoon, and while it controlled matters most of the way, it still had to work all 80 minutes to get a 3-1 victory over the Bearcats.
Overcoming 18 saves from Solvay goalie Haley Muehl, the Lakers had Sarah Bailey step up to earn a pair of goals as Eva Lombardi also converted. Kush made nine saves, only surrendering a goal by the Bearcats’ Taylor Clisson.
Then came a tough regular-season finale Friday, Skaneateles facing state no. 13-ranked Clinton, but stepping up in a big way to shut out this other group of Warriors 2-0.
They were scoreless until the 32nd minute, late in the first half, when Dower’s well-timed pass found Bailey, whose low shot skidded off the left post into the bottom corner of the net.
Protecting that 1-0 lead, the Skaneateles defense smothered Clinton, Kush stopping all nine shots she faced. But the Lakers didn’t feel safe until Bailey connected on a second-half free kick, nailing into the top left corner from 25 yards out.
The sectional Class B playoffs have Skaneateles as a no. 10 seed, having to travel Thursday to face no. 7 seed Chittenango, a team it beat earlier this month. Win this, and the Lakers could face Clinton again since the Warriors still got the no. 2 seed and will meet Oneida or Phoenix.
