For a long while last Thursday night at Bragman Stadium, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team had West Genesee in real trouble, controlling the game and leading by three.
But the state Class A no. 3- Wildcats found a way out of that trouble and handed the state no. 9-ranked Northstars a 9-5 defeat that hurt much more than when WG prevailed by that exact same score in Camillus back on April 19.
In that earlier meeting, WG had led most of the way, but that wasn’t the case here. C-NS sensed an opportunity, having not played in five days, while the Wildcats were playing its third game in four nights.
With Samantha Tortora winning most of the early draws, the Northstars got possession and, more importantly, dictated a slower tempo that included long possessions and patient passing.
WG’s Nicky Delany netted the game’s first goal at the 5:28 mark, but it would take nearly 14 minutes for the visitors to convert again, during which time the Northstars saw Bryar Cummings, Megan Tryniski, Meghan Duffy and Mallory Eymer each find the net.
Just before halftime, things turned around. Still trailing by three, the Wildcats’ Abby Collins put in a rebound goal and then had Baker charge in and convert in the last 90 seconds before the break, which made it 5-4.
That momentum carried over into the second half, when every part of the Wildcats’ game clicked. Delany and Lexie Meager, with help from defender Ally Trice, started winning the draws on a regular basis.
Trice then joined fellow defenders Caroline McGuigan, Emma Parry and Stephanie Scaia in forcing C-NS into a series of turnovers, and when that didn’t work, goalie Mackenzie Kittell made a series of clutch saves.
Pitching a shutout on one end, WG tied it when Baker fed Madisyn Kittell for a goal. Then, with 14:55 left, Collins hit her second goal that gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
Far from done, Baker made a charge from the right side that netted her second goal with 8:39 to play that doubled WG’s margin and assisted on Meager’s tally three minutes later before Kyre Bednarski converted with 4:05 left.
While C-NS battled West Genesee, Liverpool was taking on Baldwinsville, team it beat 11-8 earlier this season – but even in the midst of genuine turmoil, the Bees would get even with the Warriors and prevail by a 9-6 margin.
Two days earlier, and right before the Bees faced off with Fayetteville-Manlius last Tuesday afternoon, word got out that head coach Doug Rowe, who is stepping down at season’s end, would sit out two games as the result of an agreement with the school district.
Thus, long-time assistant coach Lionel Brown got a chance to lead B’ville at a time where it needed good results – but instead, it took a17-5 defeat to F-M, and few expected the Bees to turn it around so quickly against a Liverpool squad that already had a win over them.
But during a fast-paced first half, B’ville inched in front, 6-5. Then, when it extended its lead in the second half, the Bees did a superb job possessing the ball and then making defensive stops to make sure the Warriors didn’t catch up.
In defeat, Julia Sardella paced Liverpool, scoring three times, half her team’s output. Krystyna Sterio had a goal and assist as Cassidy Hall and Maggie Tassone also found the net and goalie Marissa Madonna made 10 saves, three more than Bees counterpart Madeline Curtis.
For B’ville, Glory Johnson and Anna Mazurkiewicz earned three goals apiece, while Sara Goodwin had a goal and two assists. Maria Henwood got one goal and one assist and Alex Leo also scored.
Liverpool would try to upend 10-1 Fulton (whose only loss this season was to state Class A no. 1-ranked CBA) on Saturday afternoon, and almost pulled it off – but lost, 13-12, to the Red Raiders in an exciting back-and-forth battle where the Warriors could not hold on to a 7-6 halftime lead, despite an all-out effort.
Sardella poured in six goals, double her B’ville total. Hall and Veronica Brancato each scored twice as Sterio had three assists and Tassone two assists. Single goals went to Abby Hope and Maia Henry and Madonna kept her team close with 12 saves.
On Fulton’s side, Hailey Carroll and McKenna Chesbro each finished with five goals, Chesbro adding a pair of assists. Mallori Kitts and Keara Patterson earned four assists apiece and Jordan Coulon found the net twice.
C-NS, meanwhile, had romped past Auburn 19-1 on Friday night, with Meghan Duffy piling up four goals and three assists, with Cummings notching four assists to go with her lone goal.
Elsewhere, Eymer added three goals and Julia Alberici three assists as Tortora, Brenna Duffy, Olivia Africa and Jessica Meneilly had two goals apiece. Tryniski got one goal and two assists as Jessica Foley and Makena Scarlata earned goals of their own.
