If something was missing from the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team, its initial opposition in 2016 didn’t seem to notice.
The Lakers began its latest championship quest last Wednesday night at Hyatt Stadium with an impressive all-around effort against visiting Jordan-Elbridge, counting on many different players to produce on the offensive end in a 17-5 romp over the Eagles.
With most teams, a loss similar to the one the Lakers experienced when All-American junior attacker Kyla Sears was sidelined for the season with a torn ACL would prove devastating.
Yet the Lakers and its head coach, Bridget Marquardt, had long proven that it didn’t need to depend on a single player, and it proved that point against a J-E side that was impressive when it beat East Syracuse Minoa 19-5 in its March 24 season opener.
Following an early exchange, Skaneateles, trailing 2-1, broke out by putting in seven unanswered goals in the middle stages of the first half. By intermission, the margin was 11-4, and another three-goal run in the first seven minutes of the second half created a running clock for the rest of the night.
No single player needed to pick up Sears’ production, though Catie Woodruff did serve as a focal point, recording four assists to go with her three-goal hat trick.
Bailey Herr, meanwhile, had a team-best four goals, with Hannah Logan matching Woodruff by finding the net three times. Emma Goodell and Alana Navaroli each had two goals as Abby Kuhns, Mae McGlynn and Molly Newton had one goal apiece, Kuhns contributing an assist.
On the defensive end, Skaneateles was stingy most of the way, chasing J-E’s talented group of attackers and protecting a pair of goalies. Allison Weiss and Emily Baldwin each played for a half and got three saves apiece.
Following a Saturday scrimmage with Irondequoit, the Lakers would take on LaFayette Tuesday before a big game on Saturday against visiting Section I power Suffern.