With a brutal opening schedule out of the way, the Liverpool girls lacrosse team hoped that Saturday’s showdown with Cicero-North Syracuse would offer a breakout.
It didn’t quite happen, as the Warriors stayed right with the Northstars all afternoon on the hot Solvay turf, but still took an 11-9 defeat.
Each half had a distinct character to it. During the opening half, Liverpool displayed lots of balance, as five different players — Kathleen Conese, Jennifer VanderMeulen, Marybeth Madia, Allison Flood and Kristen Zylka — earned goals. VanderMeulen and Madia each found the net twice.
Still, CNS had the majority of offensive chances, as just two players — Tori Praino and Ashley Waldron — accounted for that team’s first seven goals. Despite goalie Mikey Meagher’s seven saves, Liverpool trailed, 8-7, at the break.
During the second half, CNS spread out its attack, but Liverpool contracted. Only Conese could score, getting all four of her team’s tallies. Three different times, the Warriors pulled within a goal, only to have the Northstars answer.
Conese converted her fifth goal with 8:36 left, making it 12-11, but the CNS defense would not allow anything more. Alyssa Cristaldi’s third goal, with 2:37 left, helped clinch the Northstars’ win.
Winning didn’t prove difficult in last Thursday’s game against Henninger/Nottingham, where the Warriors blasted past the Black Knights 14-5.
Much of the margin was built in a 9-1 first half where Liverpool won most of the draws and scored with a large degree of consistency.
VanderMeulen earned four goals, with Madia adding three goals and one assist. Conese backed up her pair of goals with three assists as Kristen Zylka also found the net twice. Flood, Kayla DeAngelis and Kristina Lombard scored, too, as Brianna Mancini, Nina Tassone and Anna Daucher earned assists.
This followed a trip to the Buffalo area on April 16-17 where the Warriors went 1-1, beating Nichols 9-7 but taking a 12-11 loss to Lancaster.
In the win over Nichols, VanderMeulen and Madia carried much of the offensive load, both of them earning three goals and one assist. Tassone, Zylka and Flood got the other goals, with Conese held to one assist. Meagher made 10 saves.
Liverpool held a 7-6 halftime lead against Lancaster, but could not hold on despite Meagher’s 15 saves. Madia had three goals and one assist, with VanderMeulen and Conese each getting two goals and one assist. Zylka got a goal and two assists as Lombard, Mancini and Anna Daucher scored, too.
And it wouldn’t get easier for Liverpool (2-5) this week as both Fayetteville-Manlius and state no. 1-ranked Baldwinsville would pay visits to Solvay.
