If all went to plan for the Marcellus girls lacrosse team, it would cast aside a pair of opponents in the Section III Class C playoffs and, in all likelihood, take one more shot at Skaneateles in the Carrier Dome with a championship on the line.
But the no. 2 seed Mustangs never got past the first opponent.
Far from intimidated, no. 7 seed General Brown made the long drive to Marcellus for Wednesday night’s Class B quarterfinal and, matching everything thrown at them, stunned the Mustangs 15-13.
With a 13-3 mark, state top-10 ranking and plenty of post-season experience, Marcellus carried all of the advantages – or so it seemed.
General Brown, a high-scoring, high-energy attack, immediately caused trouble for the Mustangs’ defense, starting with the Lions’ Bryanna Fazio earning draw controls, which led to extra possessions and plenty of goals.
Instead of the comfortable lead it expected, Marcellus trailed, 8-6, at the break. The second half turned into a series of runs, but every time the Mustangs wanted to catch up, the Lions had an answer, staying out in front.
Grace Nolan gave one final great effort for the Mustangs, pouring in six goals and adding an assist, while Ally Burrows and Maddy Conklin each scored twice. Grace Hunt had a goal and three assists, with Abby Vetsch and Keelin Kelly earning single tallies.
On GB’s side, Fazio, aside from her talent for draws, also managed three goals and three assists. Emily Amell led with four goals, while Hannah Peebles also had three goals and three assists and Cayla O’Connor scored three times.
That was part of a rough quarterfinal for all four local girls lacrosse sides. A day before Marcellus fell, no. 5 seed Westhill saw its season end with a 12-7 defeat to no. 4 seed LaFayette and Jordan-Elbridge, the no. 11 seed, lost to no. 3 seed South Jefferson 17-8, while no. 9 seed Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes fell to top seed Sknaeateles 16-4.
Trailing most of the way, the Warriors could never make the run it needed against the Lancers. Only Sophia Dower scored twice, while Lydia Gosson, Ryan Laible, Haleigh Farrell, Kelly Lippert and Liz McAnaney had one goal apiece. Skye Schumacher led LaFayette with four goals and one assist, with Cassidy Doster contributing three goals and two assists.
Up north in Adams, J-E’s fine season came to an end against a South Jefferson side fresh off its first-ever Frontier League title, unable to recover from a first half where the Spartans bolted out to a 12-3 lead.
Antonia Malvaso still had three goals and one assist, with Marissa Malvaso adding two goals and one assist. Miranda Malvaso put up a goal and two assists as Alexis Malvaso and Torey Kopp managed the other goals. Morgan Conroy made eight saves as South Jefferson’s top star, Morgan Alexander, had another big night, producing five goals and three assists.
Out of gas from a four-overtime epic with Cazenovia in the opening round the day before, and facing a well-rested, highly-skilled opponent, Ludden/Grimes never got close against Skaneateles, falling behind 12-1 by halftime.
Julia Catalano (who scored the goal in the fourth OT to beat Cazenovia), Seanna Laneve, Molly McNerny and Kellie Byrne had single goals, but the likes of Teresa Shattuck, Gemma O’Kane, Stephanie Brazell and Nicole Granteed never could convert.
Five different Skaneateles players – Kyla Sears, Nicole Beatson, Hannah Powers, Alana Navaroli and Molly Wood – had three goals apiece, with Powers adding four assists and Sears and Beatson getting two assists apiece.
