The first week of April included plenty of important contests for area girls lacrosse teams, especially a pair of rematches of post-season showdowns from 2018.
It started with Skaneateles taking on Westhill at Hyatt Stadium, their first encounter since last May’s Section III Class D semifinals. Now, as then, the Lakers prevailed, though here it required two overtimes to edge the Warriors 6-5.
Charging into the game with a 2-0 mark that included a win over West Genesee, Westhill hoped to put Skaneateles further behind in the wake of the Lakers’ own season-opening defeat to Canandaigua on March 30.
However, the Warriors could not hold on to a slim 3-2 halftime margin, Skaneateles controlling the tempo and catching up, 5-5, leading to OT, where neither team could win it in the first extra session.
Finally, in the second OT, Olivia Navaroli flung a shot past Westhill goalie Franny Argentieri to win it. Prior to that point, Argentieri had earned 11 saves, more than double the five put up by Sknaeateles netminder Ioanna Christou.
Navaroli and Maggie Newton each got two goals, with single tallies going to Gabby Welch and Riley Brogan. Reilly Geer was the lone Westhill player to score twice as Rebecca Gilhooley had a goal and assist. Grace Winkler and Caroline Miller had the other goals.
This got the Lakers to 299 career wins for its head coach, Bridget Marquart, and the landmark 300th win came on Saturday as Skaneateles beat its namesakes from Cazenovia 18-3 at Cazenovia College’s Christakos Field.
Having won four state and 12 Section III titles in her 17-year tenure, Marquardt found this milestone win to be a stress-free event, Skaneateles leading Cazenovia 12-1 by halftime.
Brogan, Navaroli, Newton and Grace Dower each found the net three times, Dower adding three assists as Navaroli and Brogan got two assists apiece. Single goals went to Welch, Hope Allyn and Anna McGlynn.
Before that, Westhill would look to recover Thursday against another Class A side, Cicero-North Syracuse, and did so, pulling away in the second half as it handled the Northstars 16-9.
Gilhooley and Miller each netted four goals, with Gilhooley tacking on four assists. Winkler stepped up with a three-goal hat trick and Gianna Zerillo scored twice as they each got single assists. Geer got two goals and Grace Dwyer added a goal.
Meanwhile, Marcellus hit the road and, while spending some time in New York City, also got in a game Friday against Byram Hills (Section I) and pulled out a hard-fought 5-4 victory over the Bobcats.
Trailing 4-3 at halftime, the Mustangs shut out Byram Hills in the second half while getting the tying and go-ahead goals. Five different Marcellus players – Anna Vetsch, Laura Canty, Maisie Moses, Sarah Hutchings and Madeleine Caron – earned those five goals and Kenai Cameron recorded six saves.
Jordan-Elbridge played last Monday against visiting LaFayette and could not keep up with the Lancers, who reached double digits in each half and defeated the Eagles 20-8.
Chelsea Curtis still managed three goals and one assist, while J-E got two-goal outings from Sophia Titus and Gabby Smart. Hannah Godfrey added a goal as Gabby Skotinski recorded eight saves.
Then J-E lost, 14-5, to Gananda on Wednesday night, falling to 1-3 on the season, followed by a 19-2 defeat to Watertown where Curtis and Titus had the only Eagles goals.
