The thing that draws attention in girls lacrosse is goals and offensive statistics, just like most sports.

Defensive work is far less glamorous, but far more important, especially for someone like West Genesee, whose run of seven state Class A championships since 2001 has always featured an ability to keep opponents of all stripes from finding the net with regularity.

So it was no small irony that WG’s quest for yet another state title ended because the defense on the other side was better, West Islip doing an effective job of resistance and handing the Wildcats a 10-5 defeat in Friday’s state Class A semifinal at SUNY-Cortland.

WG head coach Bob Elmer said his team’s effort was good, but that it missed too many chances to beat an opponent as good as West Islip.

“I can’t ask for much more from my players,” said Elmer. “But we hit some pipes and missed some eight-meter shots. You’ve got to finish those opportunities, and we didn’t do so.”

This was the chance for the Suffolk County-based Lions to get even for the 2014 state final on this same Cortland turf, where the Wildcats won, 15-10. The rematch would have a different result.

Each side scored on their first possession, Grace Osterdale converting 35 seconds into the game before West Islip’s Emily Picuillo answered less than two minutes later.

From there, though, the game turned physical for the bulk of the first half, both sides making multiple stops. With these two defenses in peak form, every scoring play was more precious.

Madisyn Kittell’s free-position goal 9:38 into the first half putting WG back in front 2-1 before Lena Riportella’s tally evened it again, 2-2, at the half’s midway point.

Nicky Delany, off a feed from Mackenzie Baker, restored WG’s one-goal lead, 3-2, with 9:09 left in the half. More stops followed on both ends, and it stayed 3-2 going into the break.

WG’s defenders, including Madison Pritchard, Courtney Shoults, Ally Trice and Mackenzie Negus, had to do more work early in the second half, and for a while it stayed in front thanks to some point-blank stops from goalie Katherine Widrick.

Piciullo broke through, though, to tie it, 3-3, with 17:42 left. Then, seconds after Lexie Meager’s go-ahead goal got disallowed because Meager ran into the crease, Riportella, off a feed from Vanessa Costantino, converted, giving the Lions its first lead, 4-3, with 15:30 to play and leading WG to use a time-out.

But that did little to stop the Lions, who got goals from Riportella and Emily Beier 23 seconds apart to stretch its margin to 6-3 before Delaney’s free-position goal with 12:17 left briefly gave WG some hope.

Another critical sequence quickly followed. Osterdale, free in front of West Islip’s net, took a shot that beat the Lions’ freshman goalie, Lauren DiStefano, but hit the left post. Grabbing the ensuing ground ball, West Islip charged downfield and Piciullo, off a feed from Beier, converted to make it 7-4.

Aside from those missed chances, the problem, said Elmer, was that the Lions’ back line of Olivia Going, Kaitlyn Viviano, Danielle Schweitzer and Courtney Salatto was stifling the Wildcats’ attackers in multiple ways, face-guarding Osterdale and Mackenzie Baker while, at the same time, using a zone look to pack the middle and take away WG’s trademark cuts to the net.

And even when there were shots, when they weren’t hitting pipes or drifting wide of the net, DiStefano was scooping them up, finishing with eight saves.

Down the stretch, West Islip put the game away by not sitting on its 7-4 lead the way a lot of others would do.

Other than Kyra Bednarski’s goal with 4:52 left, WG was kept off the board, and the Lions added three more goals, two of them into an unoccupied net as Widrick joined her teammates and tried to force late turnovers.

Riportella led West Islip, scoring four times, while Piciullo scored three times. Vanessa Costantino had two goals and two assists as Beier got a goal and three assist.

As West Islip advanced to face Suffern (Section I) in Saturday’s state final, the Wildcats ended a 16-4 season that included a dramatic Section III title won in the last seconds over CBA and plenty of other milestones – all after 16 seniors graduated from the 2014 state title team.