When last the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team was on the field, Kyla Sears was ending her wondrous high school career by netting the winning goal in the second overtime of the state Class D championship game.
It completed both a remarkable comeback from a six-goal deficit in that title game against Bronxville as well as Sears’ season-long comeback from injuries that sidelined her for the entire 2016 season and part of 2017, too. It helped her earn U.S. Lacrosse National Player of the Year honors.
Now Sears is at Princeton University, already playing a central role for the nationally-ranked Tigers – she scored two goals and two assists in a narrow 17-16 defeat to Syracuse this past week.
Yet many stars have graduated from the Skaneateles program in the past, only to have head coach Bridget Marquardt and her staff put the pieces together for another push toward Section III and state championship glory.
The 2018 edition of the Lakers would debut last Thursday night at Hyatt Stadium, taking on Rush-Henrietta, from Section V, and doing just enough to edge the Royal Comets 8-7.
Neither side could create any kind of separation during an active first half, which ended in a 5-5 deadlock. It took a stout Lakers defense to carry the home side through, limiting Rush-Henrietta to a pair of goals the rest of the way.
Riley Pas’cal stopped 13 of the 20 shots she faced overall. She got most of the scoring help from Riley Brogan, who netted four goals and one assist, and Grace Dower, who had two goals and two assists. Maggie Newton and Abbey Logan had the other goals.
Skaneateles takes on Homer Wednesday night and faces Cazenovia on Saturday at Cazenovia College’s Christakos Field before an April 10 showdown with rival Marcellus.
