Maybe the Marcellus girls lacrosse team got a brief moment of satisfaction when the first state Class C rankings of the season got released and the Mustangs, with a 6-1 record, sat in the no. 5 spot, right behind Skaneateles and South Jefferson.
But that ranking was bound to get hurt after last Monday night’s game at no. 25-ranked Homer, who claimed a seesaw battle with the Mustangs by a 13-11 margin.
Ultimately, Homer got rewarded for seizing an 8-6 lead in an action-filled first half. Then, as the pace slowed down in the latter stages, the Trojans answered every time Marcellus tried to rally.
Maddie Conklin still had three goals and two assists, with Ally Burrows and Audrey Cerrone matching those three-goal totals. Keelin Kelly scored twice, with Grace Coon and Taylor Reich getting single assists.
In goal, Sarah Annable had seven saves. On the Trojans’ side, Olivia Porter (four goals, one assist), Kim Dieroff (three goals, two assists) and Morgan Hollenbeck (three goals, one assist) led the way.
A tough week of practice followed, and the Mustangs were off until Saturday, when it took on state no. 10-ranked Cazenovia in a game that started at 8:30 in the morning – but not too early for Marcellus, who handled the Lakers 14-6.
Strong from start to finish, the Mustangs gained a 6-2 halftime edge and never let up, with Conklin as the main spark thanks to her five goals and three assists. Burrows chimed in with a three-goal hat trick as Cerrone and Kelly both got two goals. Coon and Colette Rigas had the other goals.
Westhill, with the no. 13 state Class C ranking, handled Jordan-Elbridge 17-7 last Tuesday, nearly shutting out the Eagles during an 8-1 first-half push and cruising the rest of the way.
Haileigh Farrell, with five goals, led the way, though Shelby Stack had four goals and three assists and Caroline Miller notched a three-goal hat trick. Natalie Jetter and Erin McMullen had two goals apiece, with Dana Radin adding one goal and one assist. Jayanna Monds and Lydia Gosson each had a pair of assists. Morgan Hayes and Esther Clifford combined for 10 saves in the net.
On J-E’s side, Marissa Malvaso notched three goals, with Antonia Malvaso scoring twice. Alexis Fietta and Allison Jennings had one goal apiece as Miranda Malvaso earned two assists and Annalea O’Brien one assist. Goalie Anna Bozeat had eight saves.
The Eagles lost on Thursday to LaFayette 15-10, only trailing 9-8 at halftime before the Lancers’ defense tightened in the game’s latter stages and J-E scored just twice the rest of the way.
Still, Antonia Malvaso got four goals and one assist, with O’Brien and Miranda Malvaso each scoring twice. Emily Kuehnle had a goal and two assists, with Marissa Malvaso adding one goal and one assist. Alexis Switzer also had an assist. Though goalie Evelyn Woodin had 12 saves, LaFayette’s Cassidy Doster still managed six goals and three assists to lead her side.
Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes routed Cortland 17-6 last Monday night, ending matters early by racing out to an 11-2 halftime lead and again getting big numbers from Teresa Shattuck, who poured in eight goals and added five assists for a 13-point night.
When the Purple Tigers tried to stop Shattuck, Jennifer Vazquez answered, scoring six times and adding an assist. Kellie Byrne added a pair of goals as Molly McInerney had a goal and two assists. Emma Driscoll and Molly McInerney got one assist apiece.
Then Ludden-Grimes put a scare into Jamesville-DeWitt on Thursday night, but lost, 9-6, to the Red Rams, unable to take advantage of a strong first half on the defensive side where it contained J-D, but still trailed, 3-1, and only could match goals the rest of the way. Shattuck and Vazquez accounted for all of the production, with three goals apiece, while Kellie Byrne added an assist.
