At just the right time, the Skaneateles girls soccer team is finding some good, consistent form, as evidenced by three wins in four nights, the last of them an exciting victory over its Class AA neighbors to the west.
Before the rains hit, Skaneateles took full advantage of last Monday’s dry conditions at Jordan-Elbridge, doing whatever it wanted in an 8-0 shutout over the Eagles.
Catie Woodruff had another big, productive outing, backing up her pair of goals with a season-best four assists. Tate Green and Grace Hilpl also had two-goal outings, with Green adding an assist as Sarah Bailey and Jordan Daley notched single tallies. Mikaela Terhune added an assist.
Then, amid the precipitation at Hyatt Stadium, Skaneateles hosted the combined Syracuse city team 24 hours later, and the Lakers didn’t mind all of the rain, getting its second shutout in as many nights as it handled Syracuse 6-0.
Once again, the matter was settled by halftime, Skaneateles gaining a 4-0 edge, It then went further as Woodruff tacked on two more goals, leading a well-balanced attack where Green and Terhune both got one goal and one assist.
McGlynn not only made five saves, she took a turn out of the net to earn her first goal of the season. Shay McCarthy and Laurel Parker tacked on goals as Makie Kerr chimed in with an assist.
Down the road at Auburn on Thursday night, the Lakers knew that it would get a lot tougher, especially trying to solve the Maroons’ star goalie, Ally Nicolisi, who had stopped all 15 shots she faced in a Maroons 1-0 win over Cicero-North Syracuse earlier in the week.
The game served as a fund-raiser for “Kick Out Cancer”, a program the two teams started to benefit Upstate-Golisano Children’s Hospital. The teams raised nearly $2,500 for the cause and donned special jerseys for this game, colored teal for thyroid cancer awareness.
And the game was pretty special, too, Skaneateles and Auburn going back and forth and battling right to the wire – but the Lakers prevailing by a 2-1 margin.
Auburn’s defense had a difficult time containing Woodruff early, and all of the opportunities Woodruff created would pay off in the 18th minute when she put it past Nicolisi. The Maroons nearly tied it right before halftime, thanks to a strip by Marguerite Cuddy, but the Lakers saw the danger and kicked it out before Cuddy could shoot, leaving it 1-0 going into the break.
Increasing its pressure, Skaneateles doubled its margin eight minutes into the second half, Green emerging from the scene to convert. That insurance goal was needed, since Cuddy put Auburn on the board with a flicked shot just over the reach of Mae McGlynn to cut the Lakers’ lead back to one.
Trying to make it 3-1, Skaneateles forced a penalty kick with seven minutes left, but Nicolisi stopped Lauren Goodchild. Still, the Lakers hung on, helped by a second yellow card that sent Cuddy to the sidelines in the homestretch. McGlynn finishing with five saves while Nicolisi had nine saves.
Thus, a busy stretch that started with the Lakers at the .500 mark ended with the team at 7-4-1, favored to add to its win streak next week in games against Altmar-Parish-Williamstown and Solvay.
