It’s not stretching the imagination to ponder just how much the Marcellus girls lacrosse team might have accomplished in the last decade if it didn’t have to climb over Skaneateles to reach its championship ambitions.
The list of occasions where the Lakers broke the Mustangs’ hearts is long – which only made last Thursday night’s developments at Hyatt Stadium all the more stunning, and sweet, for partisans in green.
For once, it was Marcellus making the charge and, in the last minute, snatching a result from Skaneateles, a five-goal deficit turned into an 8-7 victory that might prove a landmark should the Mustangs achieve more later this spring.
Just as when they played in 2016, Marcellus didn’t have to worry about the presence of injured Skaneateles star Kyla Sears. For a while, that didn’t make a difference as the Lakers played strong defense in the first half and, with a modest, consistent attack, built a 6-2 advantage by intermission.
A Skaneateles goal early in the second half stretched the margin to 7-2, and that was all the Mustangs would allow. From there, the defense wore down and frustrated the Lakers, waiting for the attack to reward that work – which it did.
Six unanswered goals put Marcellus in front to stay. Maddie Conklin, Katherine Locastro and Colette Rigas each scored twice, with Conklin and Locastro adding assists. Grace Coon and Abby Vetsch earned the other goals.
Marcellus was coming off last Tuesday’s 22-3 rout of Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes, a game decided quite early as the Mustangs sprinted out to a 16-1 halftime lead. Conklin, who passed 300 career points in the win over J-E, had five goals and two assists here, with Grace Coon getting four goals and two assists.
Locastro set a career mark with six assists as she joined Rigas, Abby Vetsch, Lily Powell and Anna Vetsch in earning two goals apiece. Katy Wangsness had one goal and one assist, with Taylor Reich and Madison Green also earning goals. Sarah Hutchings got an assist. Emma Driscoll netted two of Ludden-Grimes’ three goals, with Emily Monroe earning the other and Molly McInerney contributing an assist.
Grimes-Ludden also would lose to Cazenovia 18-5 on Wednesday as Grace Lambrych scored twice, with Driscoll and Rhonee Shea Pal each earning one goal and one assist. Taj Huddleston had the other goal as the Lakers’ Chloe Willard piled up six goals and four assists.
Meanwhile, Marcellus did not have a letdown after the big win at Skaneateles, prevailing 16-7 over Section II opponent Niskayuna on Saturday afternoon as it bolted out to a 9-3 halftime lead and never let the Silver Warriors get closer.
Conklin, with her five assists, often passed it to Rigas, who established a season-best total of six goals. Locastro scored four times and added two assists as Coon had two goals and two assists. Reich and Anna Vetsch had one goal apiece.
