So what happens next?
Whenever a big contest takes place, and the results meet the expectations, the next inevitable question involves the aftermath, something that the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team had to face.
Largely as a result of its epochal 6-5 overtime victory over fellow powerhouse West Genesee on April 19 at Hyatt Stadium, the Lakers assumed the top spot in the first state Class C rankings of the spring, intending to stay there all the way to the June 7 state final at SUNY-Cortland.
First, though, there was the small matter of the rest of the regular season, which got underway last Tuesday when Skaneateles paid a visit to Bishop Ludden, whose surprising 6-0 start landed them in the no. 3 spot in that same state Class C poll the Lakers topped.
Between the quality opponent and the conditions (grass field, wet, windy), the Lakers had enough excuses and explanations lined up.
Instead, it demonstrated that a larger gap may exist between Skaneateles and Ludden than just two ranking spots, as it controlled the game from start to finish and beat the Gaelic Knights 15-3.
Even on the slower field, Skaneateles won draws and pushed the pace, knowing it had a deeper roster that it could count on. The end result was an 8-2 halftime edge and a gradual getaway in the second half, the Lakers never letting Ludden get any sense of hope.
Hannah Powers, whose goal in the second OT beat West Genesee, and Nicole Beatson each scored four times, with Beatson adding an assist. Kyla Sears and Alana Navaroli offered the main support, both of them scoring twice and getting single assists.
Tate Green and Catie Woodruff, both stalwarts on the Laker defense, earned goals, as did Mae McGlynn, while Molly Wood and Casey VanSlyke earned assists.
Then the weekend took an interesting turn. Originally set to face Tully on Saturday, the Lakers moved that game to Saturday in order to accompany a scrimmage against 14-time state Class B champion Garden City on Friday afternoon.
Garden City was in town to play in West Genseee’s tournament, but when its scheduled first-round opponent, Westwood (Mass.), pulled out of the tournament due to a death in the family of one of its players, Garden City was stuck without a game.
So Skaneateles offered to scrimmage the Trojans – and they did, winning that scrimmage 14-10, though it didn’t count toward the Lakers’ overall mark.
On Saturday, Skaneateles went back to that task and rolled past Tully 20-6, improving its record to 9-1 as it would host LaFayette and Onondaga before a key game Saturday at Westhill.
