ONONDAGA COUNTY – If it wasn’t immediately apparent how much work remained for area high school girls lacrosse teams, a series of defeats against high-quality opponents reinforced that point.
Fayetteville-Manlius was 1-2 going into last Tuesday’s game at Skaneateles, where things did not improve as the Hornets fell 15-6 to the Lakers.
Even though Skaneateles was playing its first game in 2021, it was sharp and confident in all phases of the game, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage by halftime.
Other than Ava Angello, who scored four times, F-M only got single tallies from Melanie Steigerwald and Halle Daino, with Emily Noel adding an assist. To pace the Skaneateles attack, Maggie Newton amassed six goals and one assist, with Katyrn Morrissey getting two goals and five assists.
F-M’s attack improved plenty when it went to Baldwinsville two nights later, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with the Bees in a 17-11 defeat.
Just like in the Skaneateles game, a quick start by the opposition hurt, the Hornets falling behind 11-5 before it was able to play on even terms during the second half.
Angello had five goals on this night, with Julianna Cogliandro and Victoria Horton each scoring twice. Steigerwald and Lillian Coleman had the other goals, Steigerwald adding two assists as B’ville got four goals from Olivia Muscolino and three goals and four assists from Emma Gebhardt.
CBA, who took a May 1 loss to F-M, won last Thursday over LaFayette 17-6, with five different players notching multiple goals, led by Bella Roberson and Gracie Britton, who each had four goals and one assist.
Amelia Bonacci scored three times, tacking on a pair of assists. Bella DeRegis and Hannah Goldberg had two goals apiece as Bella Cannizzo got a goal and two assists and Talla Cannizzo also converted.
Jamesville-DeWitt took its own defeat last Tuesday against Auburn, the Red Rams falling 20-7 to a Maroons side that made an impressive regular-season debut.
Other than Everly Kessler’s four goals and one assist, the only J-D production came from Kate Barclay and Brooke Bort, who both had one goal and one assist, and Sydney Balotin, who also had a goal.
Six different Auburn players scored at least twice, led by Gracie Giannettino and Natalie Long, who both netted four goals as Giannettino added four assists. Caroline Smith and Natalie Calandra-Ryan had three goals apiece.
Then, on Friday, J-D challenged undefeated Fulton and nearly knocked off the Red Raiders, only to take an 11-10 defeat as Kessler got four goals and Kailey McKenna had three goals. Bort, Balotin and Kate Wilcox had the other goals.
East Syracuse Minoa was overwhelmed in its first game, a May 1 defeat to Westhill, but turned that around last Tuesday by blasting the Cortland Purple Tigers in a 16-0 shutout.
Emma Biel led the Spartans, scoring four times and adding an assist, with three-goal hat tricks earned by Rileigh White and Julianna Barton.
Rylyn Commisso netted two goals, as did Anna Paduano, while Mackenzie Praxi and Kahley Hogle picked up their first goals of the season and Mary Grace Godleski added an assist.
But then ESM ran into Auburn Thursday and lost 19-2 to the Maroons, who got five goals and three assists from Calandra-Ryan as Kate Izzo added four goals and two assists.
The week ended on Saturday with CBA battling J-D, and it was the Brothers prevailing 13-9 to move to 3-2 on the season and hand the Rams its fourth straight defeat.
Mostly a three-pronged attack, CBA had Roberson net five goals, Goldberg four goals and Britton three goals, with Bonacci adding one goal and one assist.
J-D couldn’t quite keep up despite Lily Loewenguth earning three goals and one assist. McKenna and Kessler both scored twice, McKenna adding two assists as Bella Cannizzo also had two assists.
