In part one of this lively local rivalry, the East Syracuse-Minoa girls lacrosse team got the better of Jamesville-DeWitt.
The Spartans and Red Rams got together on a sunny Saturday afternoon – and though it was J-D’s home opener, it was ESM emerging on top in an 8-6 decision.
It was the Spartans playing strong on both ends during the first half. Not only did it put together some scoring plays, its defense frustrated J-D at every turn, getting lots of stops from goalie Courtnee Notaro, who had nine saves.
Down 5-2 at halftime, J-D tried to inch back, steeled by the work of its own goalie, Cameron Buck, who finished with 16 saves. But it could not catch up because the Spartans’ attack proved a bit more diverse.
Nicole DeVona, with a goal and three assists, anchored ESM’s efforts. Sam Dooling had a three-goal hat trick, while Katy Steigerwald found the net twice. Haley DeVona and Jenna Kenney also scored as Megan Legro tacked on an assist.
Just five Rams players earned points, with Carly Stone getting three goals and Caroline Kopp contributing three assists. Taylor Fallon scored twice and Meghan Byrnes had the other goal as Sam McKenna got an assist.
ESM, who had lost its season opener to CBA on March 28, got into the win column last Monday, easily taking apart Whitesboro in a 13-1 romp.
Other than a first-half goal from Amanda Chruscicki, the Warriors would produce nothing against an ESM side that won most of the draws and stayed in Whitesboro’s end, applying all sorts of pressure.
This led to a 9-1 halftime edge and more success in the second half, and Dooling set the pace, scoring five times, often taking passes from Haley DeVona, who had four assists to go with her lone goal.
Nicki DeVona had two goals and one assist, while Morgan Young got a goal and two assists. Kenney, Kate McGarrity, Ashley Scalzo and Cindy Brownson earned one goal apiece, with Steigerwald joining Scalzo in the assist column.
J-D, who saw last Tuesday’s game with Cortland snowed out, did return to action on Thursday and picked up its first win of the season, too, topping New Hartford 13-6.
Much of that margin was built in a 7-1 first half, J-D showing all kinds of diversity in its attack. By game’s end, eight different players had scored, none more than twice.
Carly Neugebauer, with two goals and three assists, led the push, while Carly Stone had two goals and two assists. Kopp, McKenna and Kailen Prosak finished with two goals apiece as Byrnes added a goal and two assists.
Fallon and Marissa Wilcox also found the net, with Jessica Wipper getting two assists and Julia Slisz one assist.
Even though it took the field a bit later than other local teams, Fayetteville-Manlius managed to avoid any weather-related postponements.
Thus, the Hornets were not delayed one bit when it visited Oswego for last Thursday’s opener, and it didn’t show any early jitters, either, taking a comfortable early lead and cruising to an 11-6 victory over the Buccaneers.
During a decisive first half, F-M bolted out to a 7-2 lead. Thus, it was able to nurse its margin throughout the second half, even as Oswego’s attack came to life, led by Alexa Healy’s trio of goals.
The Hornets looked for back-to-back wins on Saturday, against Suffern (Section I), but could not hold on to a big early lead, falling to the Mounties 14-13.
F-M did everything well in the early going, pushing the game’s tempo and establishing a 9-5 edge by halftime. Cara Esposito, with three goals and three assists, led the way, with Sam Hotchkiss and Lindsay Trachtenberg matching each other as they both got three goals and two assists.
