For a while Wednesday night, it appeared that the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team was on its way to restoring its place atop the Section III Class C ranks, storming to a three-goal lead against defending state Class C champion Christian Brothers Academy at Alibrandi Stadium.
That good feeling did not last long, though, as the state no. 1-ranked Brothers, shaking off prolonged Senior Night festivities, took over in all phases of the game during a 15-1 outburst, leading the state no. 3-ranked Lakers to a 17-6 defeat.
CBA beat the Lakers in last May’s Section III final at Liverpool. Then the Brothers prevailed again, 9-7, at Skaneateles on April 7, dominating the flow of play and leading by a comfortable margin until a late, futile Laker surge.
Here, Sknaeateles was ready to play, as evidenced by Emma Ford and Nicole Beatson hitting on back-to-back goals 19 seconds apart to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Frustrated, CBA got called for four yellow cards in the first half, so it would go through most of the game with just 11 players on the field. Skaneateles only took partial advantage, though, as Casey VanSlyke and Beatson added goals and expanded the Lakers’ margin to 4-1.
Gradually, the Brothers began to settle in. Marisa Romeo started to win the draws on a regular basis. That led to long possessions, and strong passing, especially from Michelle Wiese and Sophie Racciatti (who had three assists apiece), helped CBA charge to a 7-5 halftime lead.
And it didn’t stop there, as the Brothers got nine straight goals to open the second half, often on charges to the net and shots that no defense could stop. Romeo led with five goals, while Taylor Poplawski and Caroline Webster each scored four times. Hannan, Rachel Perla and Alyssa Pitonzo added one goal apiece.
The defense was superb, too, blanking Skaneateles for more than 26 minutes of game time and keeping Carly Davis from registering a single point. Ford and Beatson were the only Lakers to score twice, with VanSlyke and Shelby McNeilly earning the other goals. Shannon Byrne made eight saves.
Just before going to CBA, Skaneateles had one more hurdle to clear – but it turned into quite an obstacle as Westhill pushed hard in last Monday’s game before the Lakers escaped with a 14-11 victory.
Led by Brenna Rainone, who poured in six goals and added two assists, the Warriors matched the Lakers throughout a 7-7 first half, and also produced a lot in the latter stages.
What made the difference was that Davis, who also put up six goals, had a bit more help, especially from Beatson, who finished with four goals. Ford chimed in with two goals and one assist as McNeilly and Alana Navaroli earned the other goals. Hannah Powers joined McNeilly in the assist column.
