No one associated with the Marcellus girls lacrosse team though it would conclude in this manner.
Perched atop the state Class D rankings, the Mustangs were primed to make its way toward a much-anticipated showdown with state no. 2-ranked Skaneateles and appeared in perfect position to end its long wait for a Section III championship.
But Marcellus never got that far.
Instead, in Thursday night’s sectional Class D semifinal at Christian Brothers Academy’s Alibrandi Stadium, the top-seeded Mustangs were shocked by no. 4 seed South Jefferson in an 11-9 decision where the Mustangs never led and didn’t show its best form until it was too late.
Throughout its late-season tear, Marcellus had grown accustomed to quick starts. So it had to come as a shock when South Jefferson jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game’s first seven minutes, prompting a time-out.
That only provided a temporary reprieve, for though the Mustangs got on the board, the Spartans kept answering, and by halftime the Marcellus deficit had grown to 7-3, with South Jefferson’s defenders never letting the likes of Maddie Conklin and Colette Rigas get room to operate whenever they had the ball.
Things got a lot worse early in the second half. Inspired by its early play, South Jefferson doubled the lead to 11-3, and it took more than 11 minutes for the Mustangs to get on the board again, its frustration leading to a series of cards.
It was still 11-6 when, in the final 65 seconds, the Mustangs tried to perform a miracle. Anna Vetsch scored twice, and Lily Powell found the net with 11.9 seconds to play, but that only cut the margin to two, and the Spartans claimed the last draw to hang on.
With Conklin held to one assist and Rigas shut out, Powell, Grace Coon, Abby Vetsch and Anna Vetsch got two goals apiece, but that alone couldn’t make up the difference. South Jefferson benefited from a well-balanced attack as Savannah Fish and Mackenzie Alexander each had three goals, with Natalie Strough scoring twice. Sydney Roderick had a goal and four assists.
Seeing all this, Skaneateles proceeded to earn its spot against the Spartans in the sectional final when it beat no. 3 seed Westhill 16-5 in the other semifinal, a game that was far closer than the final margin, at least in the first half.
Slowing down the tempo, and finding some success against the Lakers’ defense, the Warriors led early and were still tied, 3-3, before Kyla Sears and Riley Brogan scored 66 seconds apart, hinting at the onslaught ahead.
Westhill cut the deficit to one, 5-4, before halftime, but then watched Skaneateles unload with five goals in the first five minutes of the second half. Ultimately, it amounted to a 9-0 run, Sears leading the way with six goals and one assist as Mae McGlynn finished with four goals and Brogan netted three goals.
South Jefferson began its playoff run by outscoring no. 5 seed Jordan-Elbridge 16-13 in last Tuesday night’s Class D quarterfinal. It was back and forth from the outset, with the Eagles not quite able to keep up as it fell behind, 9-8, by halftime and were thwarted by the Spartans in every comeback attempt.
Marissa Malvaso still had four goals and two assists, while Alexis Fietta got three goals and two assists. Miranda and Antonia Malvaso each scored twice as Katie Goodrich and Allison Jennings both finished with a goal and two assists.
At the front of its attack, South Jefferson featured Natalie Strough and Megan Whitley, who had four goals apiece, and Molly Hall, who earned three goals and three assists. J-E concluded its season with a 10-7 record.
As that went on, Marcellus flattened no. 8 seed Tully 20-6 in its post-season opener, steadily peppering the Black Knights with shots during a 13-2 first half and adding further to that margin as Maddie Conklin earned five assists to go with a three-goal hat trick.
Colette Rigas scored five times, with Abby Vetsch getting three goals and one assist. Katherine Locastro had two goals and three assists as Anna Vetsch also found the net twice, plus one assist. Grace Coon had two goals and two assists. Lily Powell earned a goal and two assists, and goals also went to Taylor Reich and Katy Wangsness.
Westhill won its quarterfinal over no. 6 seed LaFayette in a 20-12 decision, struggling on defense but striking a near-perfect balance in its attack as seven different players earned at least four points.
Erin McMullen, with four goals and two assists, and Caroline Miller, with three goals and two assists, led the way, while Sam VanBuren and Maura McAnaney each got three goals and one assist. Haileigh Farrell, Abby Stack and Reilly Geer each had two goals and two assists as Kendra MacCaull contributed one goal and one assist.
A round later, Westhill’s season ended at the expense of Skaneateles – and Marcellus would find its title dreams shattered, too.
