Perhaps the stakes were not the same as the championship game taking place a few miles to the north, but the theme was the same – a lacrosse team from Baldwinsville was trying to upend a powerhouse from West Genesee that beat them twice during the regular season.
The result was the same, too.
Only this was the girls lacrosse Bees toppling the top-seeded Wildcats in Thursday night’s Section III Class A semifinal at Jamesville-DeWitt, and doing so with a stunning comeback that turned a four-goal halftime deficit into a satisfying 6-5 victory.
One thing that might have helped B’ville was that it had played two nights earlier, beating no. 5 seed Liverpool 20-10 in the opening round. WG, as the top seed in a six-team bracket, had rested for more than a week, snatching away momentum it had built by winning 10 in a row since mid-April.
Still, nothing that took place during the first half suggested the third Wildcats-Bees encounter would end any different than the first two.
Cecilia Procopio put the Wildcats on the board, and Mackenzie Baker stretched the margin to 2-0. Following a B’ville goal, WG shut out the Bees the rest of the half, while Baker connected on a second goal after tallies from Julia Williams and Adrianna Nojaim.
The 5-1 halftime deficit would cause most opponents to switch strategy, perhaps pick up the tempo a bit. The Bees didn’t do this, instead creating long possessions that gradually wore the Wildcats’ vaunted defense down.
Even with a pair of goals, B’ville still trailed 5-3 with less than six minutes to play. But another goal cut the margin to one and, with 3:52 left, Hannah Johnson’s goal produced a 5-5 tie.
Once more, the Wildcats could not get control of the ball, and went back on defense. B’ville worked it around and, with barely a minute to play, Peyton Fleming put a shot past Claudia Mocciaro, Fleming’s third goal of the night to go with those earned by Johnson, Monica Lannier and Madeline Czyz.
Hanging on at the end, B’ville eliminated the Wildcats in the semifinal round, just like Cicero-North Syracuse had done a year earlier.
The Bees earned this opportunity with a great effort in last Tuesday’s sectional playoff opener at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, where it allowed no. 5 seed Liverpool to hang around for a while, but then got away in the second half to eliminate the Warriors 20-10.
All through the first 25 minutes, Liverpool found gaps in B’ville’s defenses, but despite this success it was even more generous, which allowed the Bees to seize a 10-7 advantage. Gradually, the Warriors surrendered possession during the second half, which proved too much to overcome.
B’ville got five goals apiece from Fleming and Johnson, with Fleming adding a trio of assists. Katie Pascale had a season-best seven points from four goals and three assists as Sara Goodwin got three goals and one assist. Lannier had one goal and one assist as Maria Henwood and Emma Foote earned the other goals.
For Liverpool, whose season ended with a 7-10 record, Maia Henry managed three goals and one assist, with Lexi Emmi scoring twice. Brittany Halpin had a goal and two assists, with Veronica Brancato, Colleen Tifft, Krystyna Sterio and Kate Salanger also taking turns earning goals.
As it turned out, B’ville wasn’t done winning – and after putting away West Genesee, it could plan for Tuesday’s sectional final at SUNY-Cortland against reigning state champion Christian Brothers Academy, as the no. 2 seed Brothers beat C-NS 13-10 in the other semifinal.
