For the second time in as many weeks, the West Genesee boys lacrosse team found itself in a fierce road contest on a Tuesday night, this time at Cicero-North Syracuse.
And just like the Wildcats’ escape at Auburn on April 27, the Wildcats would finish on top by a single goal, again needing timely defense and lots of patience to push past the Northstars 7-6 at Bragman Stadium, where again the Section III final will be held on June 4.
Some of the difficulty could be traced to the talent CNS put on the field. However, another part could be traced to the fact that the Northstars’ head coach, Bill Aldrich, is a West Genesee graduate who learned the game under Mike Messere and could anticipate the Wildcats’ plans.
Sure enough, the first half turned into a tense fight where CNS won enough face-offs to dictate the game’s tempo, slowing things down and rendering the Wildcats’ offense inactive for long periods of time.
As a result, the two sides were tied, 3-3, going into halftime, and even when WG doubled its output in the third quarter, it could only manage a 6-5 margin.
So they continued to clash, deep into the fourth quarter. John Glesener’s goal with three minutes left gave the Wildcats a 7-5 edge, and it would be needed as Rob Spencer answered with 45 seconds left to move the margin back to one. Only when WG won the ensuing face-off could it run out the clock.
Bob Gasparini and Dylan Donahue each had two goals, with Gasparini adding an assist. Tim Barber joined Glesener as they each got one goal and one assist, while Matt Schattner also converted.
Pat Tierney’s four goals kept CNS close, but Joe Fletcher, Pat Brown, John Sabert and the rest of WG’s back line did a solid job of containment, as Scott Sidnam made 11 saves, each of them important.
