One more successful attack, and one more goal, would give the Christian Brothers Academy girls lacrosse team the Section III Class A championship it had aimed for ever since moving up from the Class B ranks this spring.
Yet when that opportunity presented itself in Tuesday night’s sectional final at the Carrier Dome, the Brothers could not quite seize it, and instead suffered a painful 8-7 defeat to top seed and defending state champion West Genesee on Nicky Delaney’s goal with 7.8 seconds in regulation.
Everyone anticipated a classic. CBA was no. 3 in the state rankings, with the Wildcats in the top spot, and they had gone to overtime in their lone regular-season meeting on April 18. WG prevailed there, but knew exactly what kind of challenge the Brothers would provide.
And it began at the draw circle, where CBA would dominate throughout the night. of the 18 clashes in the center circle, the Brothers won 13 of them, which meant more possession time and more work for the Wildcats’ defenders.
But WG’s back line was up to it, and the reigning champs never trailed in the first half. Grace Osterdale struck for all three of her goals, and CBA trailed 4-3 lead at break, the difference a goal that CBA’s Tessa Queri thought she scored with 1:37 left in the half, but was negated by an illegal stick.
Furious at this, the Brothers, trailing 5-3 early in the second half, struck for goals by Rachel Vercillo, Amanda Fess and Rachel Ziemba in a span of less than 90 seconds to seize a 6-5 lead, the only real outburst either team would produce.
CBA’s Olivia Penoyer hit on a free-position shot with 16:44 left, right after Kyra Bednarski tied it, 6-6. That would prove to be the Brothers’ last goal of the night.
Both sides dug in on defense, and it was WG’s Mackenzie Baker who would make the decisive scoring plays, first by taking a pass from Lexie Meager and scoring the tying goal with 9:07 to play.
As the tension grew and turnovers plagued both sides, the Brothers got the ball and, with 3:05 left, took a time-out. CBA tried to work for a final shot, but again turned it over and, with 1:02 to play, the Wildcats used its final time-out.
Goalie Katherine Widrick, from the front of her net, passed it to Meager, who got it to Madisyn Kittell, and the pair worked the ball up the field until the attack could set up. On the left side, Baker was fouled with 11.5 seconds left.
Baker said her intention was to take the free-position shot. But as the whistle blew, Baker saw the CBA defenders charge toward her while, at the same time, Delaney saw an opening and cut to the net. Catching the ball, Delaney, in one motion, flung the ball past Brothers goalie Annie O’Brien.
Still, it wasn’t over. CBA used its last time-out and, like it had done all night, won the draw, only to see Widrick snare the final shot as the clock ran out.
Having finished at 13-5, the Brothers see a handful of seniors graduate, including O’Brien, Alexa Radziewicz, Evie Lopoo and Hannah Werner.
But a large returning cast in 2016, featuring Vercillo, Penoyer, Ziemba, Queri, Emily Ehle, Sam McKenna, Meredith Strott, Kate Derrenbacker, Lexi Luthringer, Amanda Fess, Alexandria Fess, Claire Jeschke and Adrianna Fess, will return with all kinds of talent, along with a newfound hunger to get all the way to the top.
