One thing the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team has learned this spring is that opponents it may have once handled with relative ease are improving fast.
Take LaFayette, who hosted the Lakers last Monday and engaged in a back-and-forth battle that required every bit of Skaneateles firepower to pull out a 16-15 decision.
The Lakers found out that a 9-6 halftime lead was far from safe. Roaring back, the Lancers were led by Charlotte Ryan, who got six goals overall as Marissa Evans (three goals), Carha Williams (two goals, three assists) and Mya DeJoseph (two goals, two assists) helped out.
Skaneateles survived it because Riley Brogan was putting together a seven-goal, one assist outing, helped by Olivia Navaroli, with four goals and two assists, and Grace Dower, who got three goals and two assists. Abbey Logan and Gabby Welch had the other goals, with Maggie Newton adding an assist.
Perhaps that game served as a late-season wake-up for the state Class D no. 8-ranked Lakers, who proceeded to bash the combined Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes/Onondaga side 19-4 two nights later.
Not content with a 12-4 halftime advantage, Skaneateles recorded a second-half shutout and saw Brogan finish with five goals and one assist, while Navaroli and Dower each got four goals and one assist.
Logan scored once and earned two assists, with Tatum Pas’cal getting one goal and one assist. Newton, Hope Allyn, Campbell Torrey and Jessica Patalino added goals as Anna McGlynn and Olivia Dobrovosky earned assists.
On Saturday, Skaneateles hosted Guilderland (Section II), a day after former Lakers great Kyla Sears scored two goals in Princeton’s 12-11 overtime win over Syracuse in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament.
And the current Skaneateles side would win, too, taking out the Lady Dutch 14-4. It was a fine all-around effort by the Lakers, who outscored Guilderland 7-2 in each half and saw goalie Riley Pas’cal turn away nine of 13 shots.
Brogan and Dower were, again, the focal points of the attack, each with five goals as Dower got two assists and Brogan one assist. Help came from Navaroli (two goals, one assist) and Newton (one goal, two assists) as Welch got a goal and Logan an assist.
Skaneateles improved its overall record to 11-4, with only Wednesday’s game against Cicero-North Syracuse left in the regular season.
