What matters much more to the Marcellus girls lacrosse team is sitting on top of Section III Class D at the end of the playoffs rather than having the top state ranking.
For now, though, keeping that no. 1 spot will do, and the Mustangs produced another emphatic victory last Tuesday night when it drubbed Chittenango 22-2, the effort including four goals apiece from Maddie Conklin and Anna Vetsch as Conklin earned five assists and Vetsch two assists.
Colette Rigas scored three times as Katherine Locastro earned two goals and four assists. Grace Coon, Lily Locastro and Katy Wangsness also found the net twice, Coon getting two assists as Lily Powell had a goal and two assists. Taylor Reich and Madison Green contributed goals.
On Friday, Marcellus gave itself a big test by facing state Class A no. 4-ranked Pittsford in the Rochester suburbs. And the Mustangs were mostly up to the challenge, staying right with the Panthers until taking a 14-10 defeat.
Throughout the first half, Marcellus matched Pittsford’s production, and the two sides were even, 7-7, at the break. Only in the game’s latter stages did the Panthers start to contain the Mustangs. Still, Abby Vetsch finished with four goals, while Conklin and Rigas both found the net twice. Coon and Lily Powell notched single goals.
Despite its no. 10 state ranking, Jordan-Elbridge suffered another setback last Monday in a 10-9 defeat to Palmyra-Macedon (Section V), unable to rally from a 7-5 halftime deficit despite three-goal hat tricks from Allison Jennings and Marissa Malvaso. Katie Goodrich and Antonia Malvaso each had one goal and one assist as Alexis Fietta earned the other goal. Allie Derby finished with six saves.
A day later, J-E rebounded with a 16-2 victory over Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, leading 11-0 by halftime as, eventually, 12 different players scored goals, with Antonia Malvaso and Alexandria Smart each scoring three times and Malvaso adding two assists.
Fietta had a goal and two assists, with Goodrich and Marissa Malvaso each getting one goal and one assist, Allie Derby played in the field and got a goal, as did Jennings, Molly Derby, Michaela Mills, Emily Somes, Jane Strife, Chelsea Curtis and Amelia Younis.
Even though, when J-E visited Cazenovia, it was playing its third game in as many days, the Eagles still beat the Lakers 12-8, shoring up its defense during the second half as it held Cazenovia to just two goals after intermission.
Meanwhile, Goodrich and Marissa Malvaso both finished with four goals and one assist, something only Chloe Willard could do on the Lakers’ side. Fietta and Jennings had two-goal outings as Antonia Malvaso added two assists.
Friday’s game with LaFayette made it four in five days, but somehow J-E had enough energy to push past the Lancers 17-15, neither defense offering much resistance during a first half where the Eagles inched in front, 12-11.
Things slowed down in the late going, but J-E hung on behind four different hat tricks. Marissa Malvaso had four goals and two assists as Jennings, Fietta and Miranda Malvaso each scored three times, Miranda adding two assists. Antonia Malvaso got two goals and one assist as Alexis Bruan and Renee Eggleston chimed in with single goals.
Westhill, with the no. 7 state ranking, drubbed Tully 15-4 last Monday afternoon, arguably the Warriors’ best all-around effort of the season as it held the Black Knights to a single goal in the first half and then kept pulling further away, Morgan Elmer stopping 11 of the 15 shots she faced.
By herself, Erin McMullen had more goals (five) than Tully (four), and Haileigh Farrell scored four times, adding an assist. Kendra MacCaull and Sam VanBuren each got two goals, with Abby Stack and Katherine McPeak earning two assists apiece. Rebecca Gilhooley had one goal and one assist.
Then Westhill routed Onondaga 22-1 a day later, with McMullen and MacCaull each getting three-goal hat tricks and seven others – Farrell, Miller, Stack, Gilhooley, VanBuren, McPeak and Maura McAnaney – getting two goals apiece. Miller added three assists as Reilly Geer and Cailey Robb tacked on single goals.
Playing for a third time in four days, Westhill would handle Bishop Ludden-Bishop Grimes 19-7 on Thursday night, the Warriors proving too deep and potent as McMullen and VanBuren took their turns at the front, scoring five goals apiece.
Miller scored three times, with Gilhooley, Farrell and Geer netting two goals apiece. Stack and MacCaull had assists as Westhill overcame 16 saves from Ludden-Grimes goalie Peyton Hall. Emma Driscoll and Rhonee Shea Pal each got two goals as Molly McInerney, Katie Costello and Emily Monroe had one goal apiece.
Before this, Ludden-Grimes could not keep up with state no. 9-ranked LaFayette in an 18-8 defeat last Monday, the game getting away late as Mya DeJoseph, with six goals and one assist, and Charlotte Ryan, with four goals and two assists, led the Lancers.
McInerney, with four goals, accounted for half of the Ludden-Grimes production, with Emma Driscoll scoring three times, plus an assist. Mary Fallon had the other goal as Shea Pal added an assist. Hall recorded 15 saves.
On Friday night, Ludden-Grimes went to Liverpool and lost, 18-8, with McInerney earning three more goals as Shea Pal and Driscoll got two goals apiece. Monroe also found the net as, for the Warriors, 10 different players found the net, with Veronica Brancato leading the way thanks to her five goals.
