Though two more months of action remain, it will be hard for the Westhill and Marcellus girls lacrosse teams to top their showdown Wednesday night at Solvay’s Earl Hadley Stadium.
When it was done, the Warriors had outlasted the Mustangs 16-15 to earn its first victory of the season in the wake of an 0-2 start.
Marcellus came into the game 2-0, but right away saw how tough it was to contain Westhill. In an active first half, the Warriors matched the Mustangs’ production, and the team in green only had a 7-6 lead going to the break.
Even when Marcellus picked up its production in the second half, Westhill had a ready answer and inched out in front in the late stages, fending off all attempts to send it into overtime.
For the victorious Warriors, Maggie Tripodi ran the show, earning six assists to go wit her pair of goals. Brenna Rainone and Emily Mizer benefited from Tripodi’s passes, getting four goals apiece, while Nicole Easterly added three goals. Shelby Stack scored twice and Ryan Laible managed one goal and one assist.
On the Mustangs’ side, Grace Nolan piled up seven goals and Molly McGuane stepped up with five goals and two assists. Yet the rest of the team had just three goals – two from Grace Hunt, one from Lexy Bird – not as much depth as Westhill showed.
Just before meeting each other, each side had high-profile games last Monday night against Laker opponents, Marcellus fighting past Cazenovia 5-4 and Westhill falling to Skaneateles 14-10.
Already playing its third game of the season, Marcellus saw, right away, that Cazenovia (in its season opener) intended to slow things down and not let the Mustangs run at the tempo it wanted.
Somehow, Marcellus adjusted and scraped its way to a 3-2 halftime lead. Then it held on down the stretch behind Renee Poullott’s 10 saves and a patient effort on the other end.
McGuane was the only player on either side to score twice. Bird, Nolan and Audrey Cerrone earned the other goals. Cazenovia goalie Lauren Devine made 11 saves.
As this went on, Westhill shook off a dry start and a 3-0 deficit by putting up four straight goals late in the first half at Skaneateles. The Warriors scored again just before the break to reclaim the lead, 5-4, and expanded the margin to 7-5 early in the second half.
However, the Lakers turned it around with five unanswered goals, all from Shelby McNeilly and Emma Ford, and never trailed again.
Westhill battled to the end, as Tripodi, Rainone and Stack each had two goals. Tripodi also had two assists as Easterly, Labile, Mizer and Sophie Dower earned single tallies.
Gretchen Krzykowski, taking her turn in goal, had nine saves. Skaneateles won with a three-pronged attack as Shelby McNeilly pounded out five goals, while Carly Davis and Nicole Beaston earned three goals apiece.
Jordan-Elbridge began its season with a single game last Tuesday, against Tully, and a rough start proved costly as it lost to the Black Knights 15-9.
Tully’s steady attack put the Eagles behind, 9-4, by the time they reached the break. The second half proved closer, mainly because Amanda Wheeler was racking up five goals and one assist.
Still, Tully stayed in front, led by Allison Bolt (four goals, one assist) and Alexis Drumm, who added three goals. To support Wheeler, J-E saw Kelsey Youmell earn two goals and two assists, with Amanda Brown adding two goals and one assist. Gabby Thorpe added an assist. Morgan Conroy, in goal, recorded 17 saves.
Bishop Ludden lost Wednesday to LaFayette, 16-11. Erannan Shattuck put up five goals, while Nicole Granteed and Gemma O’Kane each scored twice. Teresa Shattuck and Seanna Laneve also converted, with Liz Tully adding a pair of assists.
