Defeats are something the West Genesee boys lacrosse team never gets used to, even when they do take place. Back-to-back losses are even rarer.
Yet that was what the Wildcats experienced last week, a harsh pair of road games that, by themselves, weren’t alarming but, put together, gave even more urgency to WG’s rescheduled Monday-night showdown with undefeated Baldwinsville and Friday’s visit from Fayetteville-Manlius.
The harsher affair took place last Tuesday night at Morrisville State College, where Cazenovia, who has appeared in four of the last five state Class C finals (winning two of them), took over in the game’s middle stages and didn’t let up until the final minutes of a 14-7 decision.
Early-season scares from Tully and LaFayette (which went to overtime on April 7 before Cole Willard won it) had cast some doubt about the Lakers’ capabilities, and if any opponent was to exploit an opponent’s weakness, West Genesee would do so.
Those concerns didn’t go away when, early in the second quarter, WG, trailing 3-1, put together a spurt of its own, scoring three times in the first four minutes to seize a 4-3 lead.
But that was the Wildcats’ last surge of the game. The Lakers’ defense adjusted in a hurry and, over much of the next two periods, gave up just one goal, with Brenden Whalen recording nine saves.
Not surprisingly, Willard offered the offensive spark with his one-handed shot in the net with 3:51 left in the half that tied it again, 4-4. A minute later, Jake Lewis, fed by Jake Stowell, scored to put Cazenovia ahead for good, and Derek White converted just before the break.
Now with a 6-4 advantage, the Lakers proceeded to put WG away with an 8-1 spurt that covered most of the second half. Willard, who finished with five goals and two assists, and Lewis, with four goals and one assist, led the charge, but they didn’t work alone. Will Shephard and Tom Bragg both scored twice as Stowell set a career mark with five assists.
Just two WG players, Tyler Shoults and Jack Howe, managed multiple goals, each scoring twice. Matt McDonald, Spencer McNamara and Ryan McDonald had one goal apiece as Kevin Sheehan and Manny Castro earned assists.
Perhaps it was best for the Wildcats not to dwell too much on it since, on Thursday night, it would go to Holland Stadium for its first match against Auburn since last May’s Section III Class A final.
But if most expected the Wildcats to quickly resume its normal winning behavior, the Maroons expected otherwise, weathering numerous WG comebacks and coming through in the final seconds to prevail by a 10-9 margin.
Throughout their long collective history, Auburn had only beaten the Wildcats twice. But that lopsided record book didn’t mean much early, when the Maroons sprinted out to a 4-0 lead before WG could settle down and cut the margin in half, to 5-3, by halftime.
Early in the third period, the Wildcats appeared ready to take over, notching three straight goals to take a 6-5 lead, but now it was Auburn’s turn to come back, getting back even, 7-7, before the final quarter started.
Taking the face-off, Auburn held the ball three-plus minutes and took several shots before Anthony Alberici converted to put his team up 8-7. That margin grew to two before the Wildcats fought back and forged a 9-9 tie with less than three minutes to play.
WG had the ball in the final minute o f regulation, only to turn it over. Auburn moved the ball around until Alex Burgmaster, moving to the left side, flashed open and ripped a shot past Ryan Mavretish with six seconds left. It was Burgmaster’s third goal of the night, to go with a pair of assists.
Part of the Wildcats’ problem was that no single player broke out on the offensive end. Only Sheehan and Matt McDonald scored twice, with Shoults and Castro each earning a goal and three assists. Max Rosa and Conor Bartlett had the other goals.
Aside from Burgmaster, Brian Cunningham steered Auburn as he scored four times. Mavretish finished with nine saves, while Maroons counterpart Nikoli Biljonaski made eight saves.
