Late-season defeats to West Genesee and Skaneateles had pushed the Christian Brothers Academy girls lacrosse team down to no. 7 in the state Class A rankings.
With the section III playoffs looming, the Brothers tested itself once more against state Class C no. 13-ranked Honeoye Falls-Lima last Monday night at Alibrandi Stadium, and though it proved close for a while, the Brothers got away to beat the Cougars 17-11.
HF-L did net the most goals of any CBA opponent this spring, and only trailed by two, 8-6, at halftime. Ultimately, though, the Cougars defensive struggles made a difference as the Brothers pulled clear led by Olivia Penoyer’s five goals and three assists and Rachel Ziemba getting two goals and five assists.
Tessa Queri scored three times, adding an assist, while Meredith Strott and Jillian Henson also had two-goal outings. Grace Hulslander, Anna Ziemba and Amanda Winn had one goal apiece as Claire Jeschke piled up four assists.
A day later, CBA won again, handling Auburn 19-3, with 12 of those goals coming in a decisive first half as Hulslander scored four times, adding an assist, while Penoyer managed three goals and three assists.
Strott and Rachel Ziemba also had three-goal efforts, with Henson and Jeschke both earning one goal and one assist. Ali Anderson and Erika Mayette added their names to the scoring column and Tate Kohlbrenner added an assist.
Fayetteville-Manlius, who sits at no. 5 in the state Class B rankings as is the overwhelming sectional tournament favorite, got one more tune-up at Cazenovia last Tuesday and blasted past the Lakers 22-5, with five different players earning hat tricks.
Kiera Shanley had a team-high four goals, plus an assist, but Katie Shanley topped her from a point perspective with three goals and three assists. Amanda Cramer and Gemma Addonizio both had three goals and one assist as Sydney DeGirolamo notched three goals of her own.
Kaylee Steigerwald, with two goals and three assists, led the next pack of Hornets as Jane Cote got a goal and three assists. Maddie Noel, Laura Bonomo and Grace Bang gained single goals as Allison Macrae and Sarah Buck earned assists.
Jamesville-DeWitt also is favored for a sectional title, in Class C, and was given a good test last Tuesday against visiting Cortland, but got away enough in the second half to record a 12-7 victory over the Purple Tigers.
Emma Silverstein, with eight saves, stopped more than half the shots she faced. Lindsay MacLachlan’s three goals paced a well-balanced attack where Bess Murad scored twice and got two assists, with Lizzie O’Brien and Katie Lutz getting two goals apiece. Ana Dieroff and Riley Burns both had one goal and one assist as Cassie Durkin contributed a goal and Riley LaTray earned an assist.
Then J-D nearly made a miraculous comeback against red-hot West Genesee on Wednesday before taking an 11-9 defeat. It was 5-0 in the Wildcats’ favor before the game was six minutes old as Mackenzie Baker netted the first three goals,
The margin got to 9-3 before J-D, scoring three straight, cut that lead to 9-6 by halftime. A low-scoring second half followed, with the Rams pulling within two on a couple of occasions, but no closer as Eliza MacCaull’s second goal with 30 seconds left sealed it.
Burns put in three goals, while Lutz and Jillian Risavi each scored twice. Murad had one goal and one assist as Emily Bobrek also scored. Emma Silverstein finished with seven saves, but Baker finished with four goals and four assists as Trice scored three times, with Procopio adding two assists. Ferris had one goal and one assist.
East Syracuse Minoa, who did not make the sectional playoffs, lost its regular-season finale to Tully 18-1, with Bella Talarico netting the Spartans’ lone goal in the first half. Mackenzie Bolt, with five goals and one assist, and Gemma Guy, with four goals and three assists, led the Black Knights.
In the upcoming sectional tournaments, F-M is the top seed in Class B and will go to ESM Stadium Thursday for a semifinal against no. 4 seed Auburn or no. 5 seed Central Square.
CBA, with the no. 2 seed in Class A, will venture to J-D’s turf for its semifinal next Thursday, likely against no. 3 seed Cicero-North Syracuse, the team it beat in last year’s sectional final, while the Red Rams are heading up the road to F-M as the top seed in Class C and will meet Whitesboro or New Hartford in the semifinals.
