By the time it hit the mid-April break, the Westhill girls lacrosse team would have a better idea of its relative standing among the Class C contenders.
And the Warriors must feel good right now, especially after what it did last Thursday night at Solvay’s Earl Hadley Stadium, where it got a satisfying 11-10 victory over defending Class C champion Skaneateles.
True, the Lakers were the defending champs — but it had also seen most of its 2008 starting lineup graduate, and had just lost to Cazenovia 14-11 two days earlier on that same Solvay turf.
At first, it didn’t seem to have a lingering effect. Westhill struggled to get its offense going in the first half, enough to let Sknaeateles sneak into a 5-4 halftime lead.
But Westhill kept attacking, and despite the great work of Laker goalie Heather Mullen (20 saves), it converted enough times to sneak out in front, then hang on down the stretch for a confidence-boosting win.
To its credit, the Lakers’ defense did do a solid job containing dangerous Westhill players like Sam Marshall and Annie O’Connor, who had just one goal apeice.
However, Westhill has other offensive options. Erika Eipp and Brenna Rainone both stepped up, finishing with equal three-goal hat tricks as Rainone added an assist. Mackenzie Rainone had two goals and one assist, as Caroline Buonocore also scored.
Skaneateles, in defeat, had three players — Katherine Pille, Lindsay Angelillo and Maddy Morrissey — each get two goals and one assist, but no one would break out on a regular basis as Morgan Roach (12 saves) kept them at bay.
Having split its first two games (including a wild loss to Carthage on April 3), the Warriors returned to the win column last Monday night, beating Jordan-Elbridge 15-10.
Ignoring all the rain, Westhill tromped right through J-E’s defenses in the first half, not letting up until it had a 10-3 edge. The Eagles would put a dent into that margin in the late going, but not catch up.
O’Connor, with five goals and one assist, led the way, as Marshall contributed three goals and one assist. Eipp and Mackenzie Rainone each scored twice, with Emily Haggerty, Brenna Rainone and Buonocore landing one goal apiece.
Westhill pays a Tuesday visit to Marcellus and returns home Friday for a key game against Cazenovia.