At one point last week, the Liverpool girls lacrosse team was 2-4 and slipping toward a worse fate, but a pair of well-timed wins may signal a long-term turnaround.

It didn’t help the Warriors that it had to face reigning state Class A champion West Genesee a second time in a 12-day span last Monday night.

Even on the home turf at LHS Stadium, and even though the Warriors played a lot better in the early going, it still lost, 11-4, to the Wildcats, the exact same score as their first encounter on April 4.

Back when they met in Camillus, Liverpool did not score in the first half. Here, it did better, three times blasting shots past WG goalie Andrea Francisco and also dictating the game’s pace with long possessions.

As a result, the Warriors only trailed 5-3 at halftime, but in the second half the Wildcats forced Liverpool into mistakes, which caused turnovers and goals on the other end.

Mallorie O’Brien earned two of Liverpool’s four goals. Lauren Mancini and Alexis Kline also scored, with Jenna Zajac earning nine saves. Michaela Ciciarelli (three goals) and Hannah Elmer (two goals, two assists) led a balanced Wildcat attack.

But just when the Warriors appeared headed toward a spring full of long nights and unhappy endings, it turned things around Thursday night when it went to 4-2 Fayetteville-Manlius and put together an impressive all-around effort to beat the Hornets 11-7.

Liverpool’s confidence built up during the first half as it edged into a 5-4 lead. Then it used both tight, consistent defense with a patient, mistake-free attack to gradually pull away from the Hornets in the latter stages.

Meghan DiMarco scored four times to pace the Warriors’ offense after scoring just three goals all season to this point. as O’Brien added three goals. Mancini and Kasi Cabrey both had one goal and one assist as Jessica Attaway and Emily Burns also scored. Zajac picked up seven saves.

As a follow-up, the Warriors took on Watertown Saturday afternoon. Ignoring the cold and wind, Liverpool dominated in the early going and cruised from there for a 12-7 victory over the Cyclones.

Right from the start, Liverpool went after Watertown’s defense, and constantly converted as it built a 10-2 edge. O’Brien, with three goals, led the charge as Burns, Cabrey and Alexis Kline got two goals apiece. Attaway and Mancini each had one goal and one assist and Rachel Kline also scored.

Though the Warriors could not sustain that pace, it had enough of a cushion to withstand the Cyclones’ late push, the defense holding Watertown’s top player, Bri Arthur, to three goals. Zajac picked up six saves.

This got Liverpool back to the .500 mark (4-4), and it could get to a winning mark if it got past Rome Free Academy and the combined Syracuse city squad this week.