Only one program from Long Island has kept the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team from a possible run of three consecutive state Class C championships.
Mount Sinai, in 2015, did exactly what it did in 2013, leading from start to finish and upending the Lakers 13-7 in Friday’s state semifinal at SUNY-Cortland.
From draws to ground balls, the Mustangs controlled the key facets of the game, scored the game’s first four goals and had a ready answer every time the Lakers threatened.
“Mount Sinai put us on our heels right away,” said Skaneateles head coach Bridget Marquardt. “We dug ourselves a hole, and couldn’t get out of it.
Even though Skaneateles was the defending state champions, fans remembered that Mount Sinai throttled the Lakers 15-6 in that year’s state final.
Now, on that same Cortland turf, Skaneateles looked for a better result against a Mustangs side that required three overtimes to get past Cold Spring Harbor just to reach the state final four.
Perhaps steeled by that long, tough battle with the same Cold Springs Harbor side the Lakers beat in last June’s state final, Mount Sinai scored on each of its first two possessions, with goals from Sydney Pirreca and Jess Demeo.
Then Meaghan Tyrrell and Kasey Mitchell converted, the latter on a free position, and the Lakers, who hadn’t trailed since its come-from-behind Section III semifinal win over Marcellus, found itself down 4-0, and Marquardt called a time-out.
Briefly, the Lakers recovered, getting goals from Bailey Herr and Kyla Sears, but Mount Sinai provided an emphatic answer, scoring three time in a span of 1:37 from Pirreca, Mitchell and Caroline Hoeg.
By dominating the early draws (nine of 12 in the first half), the Mustangs dominated time of possession, too, which wore the Lakers’ defense down. What’s more, whenever Skaneateles did get the ball, Mount Sinai made life difficult for Sears. double-teaming her any time she had the ball or was near it.
Sears still managed a free-position goal late in the half, her 105th of the season. But the Mustangs, holding the ball in the closing minutes, extended its lead to 8-3 at the break when Hoeg put in the rebound of a shot off the goalpost with 12 seconds left in the half.
The opening sequence of the second half proved quite telling. Hannah Powers had a chance to cut the Lakers’ deficit to 8-4 – but she was stopped, point-blank, by Mount Sinai goalie Hannah VanMiddelem.
Less than 90 seconds later, Mitchell charged through several Skaneateles defenders, scored her third goal of the game, and the Mustangs had its largest lead so far, 9-3.
Fighting back, Skaneateles saw Powers and Makena Gorman convert, cutting the margin to 9-5. When Sears, double-teamed again, fed Catie Woodruff for a goal with 14:42 left, it was 9-6, and now it was Mount Sinai needing a time-out to halt the Lakers’ momentum.
And it worked. From that point forward, Mount Sinai outscored Skaneateles 4-1, not slowing down and putting the game away as Mitchell, who is headed to Stony Brook next fall, ran her total to five goals to lead both sides.
“As soon as we got a run, they (the Mustangs) would score,” said Marquardt. “We couldn’t keep momentum on our side.”
While Mount Sinai advanced to face Honeoye Falls-Lima in Saturday’s state final, Skaneateles finished an 18-4 season with some disappointment, but also a lot of optimism.
Just four seniors – Powers, Elizabeth Lane, Emmeline Graham and Molly Rourke – graduate. Everyone else is slated to come back in 2016, a deep and talented roster with nothing less but a return trip to SUNY-Cortland in mind.
“We’ve had an outstanding year, and I’m proud of them,” said Marquardt. “(And) tomorrow is day one of the 2016 season. Our goal is to get back here and win it. The future looks bright.”
