Coming off an emotional victory against Skaneateles in the Section III final, the Christian Brothers Academy girls lacrosse team dispelled complacency chatter and took care of Section IV champion Maine-Endwell 20-7 in the first round of the Class C tournament at West Genesee High School Thursday night.
Caroline Webster (five goals), Taylor Poplawski (three goals) and Marisa Romeo (four goals, five assists) accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total offense as the Brothers (17-3) advanced to take on Section X champion Postdam Saturday at 7 p.m. at SUNY-Canton. The winner there advances to Cortland State for the June 10-11 state final four.
CBA would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead on back-to-back goals from Romeo before the Spartans would capitalize on one of its own at the 16:19 mark. Despite losing the battle in draw controls (six for 16) in the first half, the Brothers’ wholesale balance of an unselfish offense and stingy defense made up for it.
Of the 20 goals scored, 12 were assisted. Extended pressure on defense and help slides in the eight-meter area disrupted the Spartans’ passing lanes and ability to get off high-percentage shots. As a result, the Brothers built a 12-3 halftime lead and would not let up in the second half, either.
Junior Kara Dell’uomo would get the Brothers jumpstarted in the second half, notching her lone goal of the game just 1:25 into the half, before the Spartans countered a minute and-a-half later on an unassisted goal from senior Caroline Grosso.
CBA kept pulling further away, though, as Webster would tally four of her five goals in the second half, half her team’s total after the break. Goalie Courtney Henderson would record eight saves on the day before being relieved with 5:30 left in the second half by Lina Akl, who would make one save.
Other scoring contributions included Sophie Racciatti (three goals, one assist), Corey Hucko (one goal, one assist), Rachel Perla (one goal, two assists), Maddy Calkins (one goal, one assist) and Olivia Pitonzo (one goal) as CBA edged one step closer to its dream of a state title.
Two nights later, in the Class C regional final at SUNY-Canton, CBA again proved overwhelming against Section X champion Potsdam in a 21-3 romp that clinched a berth in the state final four.
This one got decided early, too, as the Brothers sprinted to a 13-1 halftime lead. Before it was done, five different playes had earned hat tricks as Poplawski scored four times and Racciatti, Webster, Hucko and Meg Hannan put up three goals apiece. Perla had a goal and three assists, while Calkins and Kara Dell’uomo each had one goal and one assist.
So this Friday at noon, CBA will face Marcus Whitman (Section V) in the state semifinals at SUNY-Cortland. The winner here gets to face Pearl River (Section I) or Mount Sinai (Section XI) 24 hours later for the state title, something the Brothers have not won before.
