Of all the pieces of championship glory picked up by the West Genesee girls lacrosse team in the last decade and a half, few were as difficult to attain – and satisfying in its acquisition – as the Section III Class A title earned at the Carrier Dome Tuesday night when the Wildcats edged Christian Brothers Academy in a tense 8-7 thriller.
Instead of blitzing through overmatched opponents, WG had to come from behind in both its semifinal win over Baldwinsville (a 4-2 decision May 21 at Chittenango) and then again in the title game, not moving ahead for good until Nicky Delaney’s goal, assisted by Mackenzie Baker, with 7.8 seconds left in regulation.
“This one was harder to achieve,” said Wildcats head coach Bob Elmer. “But these girls have been resilient.”
Every bit of that resiliency was needed against CBA, who held the no. 3 spot in the state Class A rankings, just behind WG in the top spot. The Wildcats had prevailed in overtime at Alibrandi Stadium on April 18 and knew quite well the challenges the Brothers offered.
And it began at the draw circle, where WG would struggle 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 the back line was up to it, from Courtney Shoults, Jessica Dussing, Ally Trice and Mackenzie Negus on the back line to Katherine Widrick stopping a string of free-possession chances throughout the game.
WG never trailed in the first half. Grace Osterdale struck for all three of her goals, and the Wildcats took a 4-3 lead to the 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 have on this night.
CBA’s Olivia Penoyer hit on a free-position goal 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 Baker who would make the decisive scoring plays, first by taking a pass from Lexie Meager and putting home 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.
Widrick 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 cut to the net, a classic West Genesee play executed thousands of times before, but rarely with so much meaning.
“I saw there was an opening, and I just took it,” said Delaney.
Catching the ball, Delaney, in one motion, flung the ball past Brothers goalie Annie O’Brien. Getting that goal, said Delaney, was “very satisfying, an awesome feeling.”
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.
Now WG headed back into the state tournament, facing Section IV champion Corning in Thursday’s regional final at Maine-Endwell.
And the Wildcats won that game, 13-9, but it started out as a romp, WG sprinting out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, with two goals each from Delaney and Osterdale.
Slowly, Corning fought back, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to four, 8-4, by halftime, and then fighting through a back-and-forth second half. Twice, the Hawks got within three goals, at 8-5 and 10-7, but could get no closer as WG’s defense settled down late and the attack produced enough to advance.
All game long, Osterdale was tough to stop, managing five goals and two assists. Delaney scored three times, with Meager and Kittell landing two goals apiece. Baker had a goal and three assists as Emily Salanger contributed an assist.
The Wildcats had made it back to the familiar turf at SUNY-Cortland for the state final four. In Friday’s state semifinal at noon, WG faces West Islip, the Section XI champions from Long Island, with the winner advancing to the title game 24 hours later against Suffern (Section I) or Pittsford (Section V).
Widrick said her team’s experience in past state tournaments will help keep them calm. Elmer said that things are starting to click at just the right time.
“This team is really starting to develop now,” said Elmer.
