As they do each season, players on the Liverpool girls lacrosse team honored their favorite teachers prior to last Thursday night’s game against Cicero-North Syracuse at LHS Stadium.
The Warriors then offered the most effective tribute possible by defeating its neighbor and rival, getting off to a near-flawless start and then doing enough down the stretch to defeat the Northstars 12-10.
All through the first half, Liverpool was patient and effective with its attack, spreading production around and building a 7-3 advantage that it took to intermission.
C-NS wasn’t done, though. As the second half wore on, the Northstars cut the Warriors’ lead in half, Brooke Malchanoff leading the way as the young forward accumulated five goals and three assists by night’s end.
To hang on, Liverpool had to continue to diversify its attack, which it did. Four Warriors had multiple-goal outings, with Jenna Irwin setting the pace by scoring four times.
Bella Brancato had a three-goal hat trick, with Colleen Tifft and Reva Mussi each scoring twice. Emily Salanger had one goal and one assist as Kendra Hall contributed an assist.
Aside from Brook Molchanoff, only three other C-NS players put in goals, Fran Tortora and Payton Baker each finding the net twice as Molly Molchanoff added a goal and two assists.
Liverpool went from here to taking on Rome Free Academy Saturday afternoon. Coached by former Baldwinsville mentor Doug Rowe, the Black Knights were off to a 3-0 start this spring.
Yet the Warriors cared little for this and claimed a 10-9 thriller over RFA. It went back and forth the entire game, with the Black Knights able to slow things down enough to get comfortable with the quality of its opposition.
Up 4-3 at halftime, Liverpool needed everything it produced in the late going to withstand RFA’s efforts, which were led by the four goals from Hailey Millington and the three goals from Sydney Stamboly.
Still, the Warriors maintained its slim margin, with Tifft scoring four times and adding an assist as Macy Moore earned a three-goal hat trick. Hall found the net twice and Erika Princzes got a goal. Each of the 11 saves produced by Samantha Bates and Abby Cole proved important.
C-NS, meanwhile, had to travel to Skaneateles, and again struggled in an 18-7 defeat to the Lakers, who did most of the damage in the early going, bolting out to a 13-4 halftime edge as Grace Dower led them with seven goals and one assist.
Brooke Molchanoff still scored three times for the Northstars, with Baker getting two goals. Tortora had a goal and two assists as Molly Molchanoff added one goal and one assist. Paige Dorgan had two assists.
On Tuesday, C-NS (0-6) visits West Genesee for its only game of the week while Liverpool, at 5-1, hosts Fayetteville-Manlius on Thursday afternoon.
