By the time they would get together Wednesday for a highly-anticipated regular-season finale at Alibrandi Stadium, the Christian Brothers Academy and Skaneateles girls lacrosse teams both were firmly entrenched in the state Class C top five.
To make this potential sectional finals preview mean even more, the Brothers had to get through a few more tests, none bigger than Friday’s battle against long-time Section V power Brighton.
And it turned into one of the season’s most memorable games, as Marisa Romeo and Taylor Poplawski all but carried the Brothers to a 14-13 overtime victory over the Barons.
Even though CBA took an 8-6 lead to halftime, Brighton did not panic. Instead, it broke through the Brothers’ defenses and inched into a 12-11 lead late in the second half.
Faced with defeat, Romeo, who had already poured in seven goals, stepped up once more, firing home the tying goal with seven seconds left in regulation.
In the pair of three-minute overtime periods, the Barons scored once, but Poplawski answered with two goals, giving her six for the night. Thus, Poplawski and Romeo were responsible for all of CBA’s goals, though Kara Dell’uomo, Sophie Racciatti and Michelle Wiese picked up assists.
This stretch for CBA started last Tuesday night with a 17-9 victory over Westhill. For much of the first half, the Warriors kept up, but as with other opponents CBA counted on its overwhelming firepower to take control, as it got 10 goals in the second half.
Romeo and Racciatti each scored four times, with Caroline Webster, Dell’uomo and Poplawski getting two goals apiece. Wiese, Meg Hannan, Rachel Perla, Emily Ehle and Rachel Vercillo added single goals – so, all told, 10 different CBA players found the net.
Not even 24 hours later, the Brothers found itself in the grass and mud at Cazenovia, taking a while to seize full control, but still rolling to a 15-5 victory.
With a 7-3 halftime lead, CBA turned up its defensive pressure, which led to turnovers and more scoring chances. Romeo anchored the push, with four assists to go with her pair of goals as Dell’uomo had a team-best four goals.
Poplawski, Webster and Alyssa Pitonzo offered ample support, each scoring twice, while Wiese, Racciatti and Hannan got single goals. Courtney Henderson faced a fair amount of shots and recorded 10 saves overall.
