In their own ways, the lacrosse teams at West Genesee faced important challenges in the last full week of the regular season.
The boys Wildcats knew quite well that last Thursday’s game against Baldwinsville at Mike Messere Field was an opportunity to atone for a series of disappointing defeats, none worse than the 16-6 beating the Bees gave them a few weeks earlier.
And for quite a while, it looked like WG would find that much-needed redemption –until its defense got overwhelmed by B’ville’s skill and depth in the latter stages of a 14-10 loss.
What made this particularly frustrating was the way the game started. The Wildcats shut out the Bees in the first quarter and, with two goals from Ryan Sheehan and another from Max Rosa, grabbed a 3-0 lead.
For the rest of the half, WG did a solid job maintaining that advantage, answering a brief B’ville charge with Sheehan netting his third goal and Nick Louise converting.
And when Sheehan converted a fourth time early in the third quarter and Alex Rosa scored, the Wildcats were up 7-3. Two goals from Spencer Wirtheim keyed a 4-0 B’ville run that tied it, 7-7.
Max Rosa and Anthony Dattellas answered with goals, and again WG was in front, 9-7, early in the final period, thinking it had weathered the worst – but it had not.
B’ville erupted for seven unanswered goals down the stretch, three each by Wirtheim and Austin Bolton.That won the game, as Sheehan’s fifth goal in the final minutes proved too late.
Dattellas and Jack Delaney each got two assists, while Luke Staudt finished with 16 saves.
After the 9-4 defeat it took at CBA on May 4, WG was able to rebound last Tuesday night at Syracuse, though it wasn’t until the second half that the Wildcats were able to pull away as it beat the Cougars 11-5.
Max Rosa had three goals, with Alex Rosa and Riley Small each scoring twice. Sheehan got a goal and two assists as Liam Sexton also had two assists. Billy Fisher and Jack Miller added goals.
West Genesee’s girls lacrosse team was in good form heading into its game with state Class A no. 1-ranked Baldwinsville last Thursday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, but that hardly mattered as the Bees, with a strong all-around performance, beating the Wildcats 15-7.
Early on, WG’s defense did a strong job containing the Bees, and it was tied, 1-1, thanks to Tara Osterdale’s goal. Then B’ville went out in front and began to break away when Jenna Pastore and Emma Gebhardt scored 28 seconds apart midway through the first half.
Hannah Johnson added two late goals in the half, one on an end-to-end run, that extended WG’s deficit to 6-1 going into the break, and after Matisyn Schaut converted early in the second half, Osterdale had a chance to make it closer, only to get stopped point-blank on a free position by Jordan Roy.
B’ville pulled away from there, Johnson working her total to six goals as Pastore, Gebhardt and Sophia Cavallaro had two goals apiece. Only Osterdale scored twice for the Wildcats, single goals going to Halen Saroney, Jasmine Murray, Sophia Scialdone and Gabby Meager.
Having knocked off Skaneateles 14-13 on Tara Osterdale’s last-second goal on May 4, the Wildcats beat another top Class D foe last Tuesday night when it turned back state no. 6-ranked South Jefferson 11-8.
Goals by Meager and Scialdone had WG in front early, but South Jefferson tied it, 2-2, before Mackenzie Winn converted twice late in the half, allowing the Wildcats to go to the break up 4-2.
Again South Jefferson pulled even, 4-4, early in the second half, and again WG answered, this time with a 4-0 run, with two of the goals from Schaut.
Not going away, the Spartans pulled back within one, 8-7, midway through the half, but Winn, Scialdone and Sam Detor all converted down the stretch to preserve WG’s lead. Detor had three assists to go with her pair of goals as Emily Stratton also scored.
