Again, the Marcellus girls lacrosse team is on a championship quest, but getting there remains a tall challenge.
In a key early-season test for the Mustangs, it visited perennial Class A contender Cicero-North Syracuse Friday night, and was close for a while before seeing the Northstars take over in the second half and hand Marcellus a 17-7 defeat.
It didn’t start well for the Mustangs, who trailed 5-0 midway through the first half. But after head coach Dick Lundblad used a time-out, Marcellus made a 4-0 run of its own, and when Grace Coon, on a feed from Abby Vetsch, scored with 1:56 left in the half, the visitors were within one, 6-5.
In those last stages of the half, though, C-NS regained control, Makena Scarlata twice finding the net to stretch the Northstars’ margin out to 8-5. Then, after the break, C-NS put it away with a 9-2 run, with Scarlata and Bryar Cummings each finishing with three goals to lead a well-balanced attack.
Though Coon and Vetsch both netted three goals and combined for three assists, and Colette Rigas added two goals, Maddie Conklin was held without a point. Sarah Annable made eight saves, the same total as C-NS counterpart Lauren Gilbert.
The Mustangs began its 2016 campaign hosting LaFayette last Tuesday night, and in chilly, raw conditions, Marcellus roared past the Lancers 18-4, settling matters in the first half by racing out to a 12-1 advantage.
Conklin, with five goals and one assist, passed the 200-point mark for her career. Grace Coon matched that point total with four goals and two assists, while Katherine Locastro had a three-goal hat trick. Vetsch, Rigas and Lily Powell each scored twice, with Vetsch and Rigas also earning assists. Olivia Bird contributed an assist.
Westhill had improved to 2-0 on the season last Monday by fighting through the wind to beat the Tully Black Knights 11-3. All game long, the Warriors’ defense stifled Tully, allowing it to stay patient on the attack and convert when needed.
Shelby Stack and Haleigh Farrell both notched three-goal hat tricks, with Abby Stack adding two goals and three assists as Shelby Stack got two assists. Erin McMullen also scored twice, with Caroline Miller getting the other goal and Sam VanBuren contributing a single assist.
The Warriors then handled Penn Yan 16-5 on Friday to make it three wins in a row. McMullen, with five goals and one assist, led the way, with Shelby Stack adding three goals. Miller (two goals, three assists) and Natalie Jetter (two goals, two assists) helped, too, as Abby Stack got two goals. Farrell, VanBuren and Rebecca Gilhooley had one goal apiece.
A big test for Jordan-Elbridge loomed last Wednesday as it visited defending Section III Class C champion Skaneateles, who was still getting used to life without injured star attacker Kyla Sears and playing its season opener.
But that didn’t matter much as the Lakers still controlled matters from start to finish, beating the Eagles 17-5. They were tied, 2-2, at one point in the first half, but then Skaneateles took charge by outscoring J-E 9-2 the rest of the half.
The Malvaso sisters accounted for all of the Eagles’ goals, with Miranda and Marissa each scoring twice and Antonia getting the other goal. For the Lakers, Catie Woodruff anchored the attack with three goals and four assists as Bailey Herr scored four times and Hannah Logan got three goals.
At Tully Friday night, the Eagles turned it around, prevailing in a wild 18-17 decision not decided until Marissa Malvaso broke free in the OT period and put home the game-winning goal, her fourth of the night.
Prior to that, no one was able to get away, J-E inching in front 9-8 by halftime but then seeing Tully catch up, led by Mackenzie Bolt, who had five goals and one assist as Tessa Doody and Erynn McNerney notched three goals apiece.
What kept the Eagles close was its own potent attack, with Miranda Malvaso joining Marissa in the four-goal category, slightly ahead of Alexis Braun and Emily Kuehnle, who each gained three goals. Antonia Malvaso got two goals and one assist as Katie Goodrich and Alexis Switzer had one goal apiece.
To start its week, Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes visited Onondaga on Tuesday and got off to a slow start – only to recover in the second half and pull out a 10-6 victory over the Tigers.
Unable to get much possession time in the first half, Ludden-Grimes trailed OCS 4-2 at intermission. But once it started getting those draws, it wore the Tigers’ defenses down and, more importantly, showed some nice scoring balance.
Eight different players scored goals, with only Molly McInerney and Rhonee Shea Pal finding the net twice. Katy McInerney, Grace Lambrych, Taj Huddleston, Emma Driscoll, Laura Patulski and Sidney Dobbins notched one goal apiece. In the net, Camille O’Kane recorded seven saves.
This led to Saturday’s visit to Liverpool, a big step up in competition for Ludden-Grimes, who overcame a bad start to make things interesting before taking an 8-6 defeat to the Warriors.
Thanks to Molly McInerney’s four goals and Driscoll getting two goals and two assists, Ludden-Grimes nearly overcame a 7-2 halftime deficit. Liverpool held on because it had a bit more depth, seeing seven different players net goals, with no one getting more than the two put in by Cassidy Hall and Julia Sardella.
