SKANEATELES – True, it may not compare to the five state championships it has earned in the past, but a perfect 15-0 mark is something this particular Skaneateles girls lacrosse team can point to with immense pride.
And the Lakers took the final step Saturday in front of a home crowd at Hyatt Stadium while denying perennial contender Westhill its first-ever championship banner in a 14-6 decision that perfectly captured what made Skaneateles special this spring.
Westhill was one of the few sides to really stay close to the Lakers, only taking a 12-8 defeat back on May 6. A month later, Skaneateles had no intention of making this one as competitive.
Perhaps the best thing to happen to the Lakers was seeing the Warriors score twice early. Properly alarmed, Skaneateles proceeded to blitz Westhill the rest of the half, going on a 10-1 run.
Maggie Newton led that charge, scoring three times for a hat trick, while Julia O’Connor netted a pair of goals and others got into the act, too.
Nursing that big margin the rest of the ay, the Lakers saw Newton add a fourth goal and O’Connor a third as Kathryn Morrissey got two goals and three assists and Ava Logan also converted twice.
Lilly Marquardt and Bella Brogan each had one goal and one assist and Rachel Hackler scored, too. Anchoring a solid Lakers defense, Emily Evans made seven saves.
No Westhill player had multiple goals, with single tallies going to Bella Sampo, Katy McPeak and Grace Winkler, who all got assists as Adelaide Lowery, Sophia Caron and Gianna Zerrillo also converted.
The Lakers’ playoff run had started last Tuesday with a 19-2 romp over LaFayette/Onondaga that included 14 unanswered goals in the first half.
Newton and O’Connor both scored three times, Newton getting four assists and O’Connor two assists as Marquardt set a career mark with six assists to go with her lone tally.
Logan had three assists as she and four others – Morrissey, Hackler, Brogan and Emily Huttar – all gained two goals. Elizabeth Wamp and Emma Bobbett also found the net.
Skaneateles may have expected to see Marcellus in the sectional semifinals, but instead got General Brown when the no. 4 seed Mustangs fell 16-12 to the Lions.
Anna Spitzer’s three goals and two assists, along with two-goal outings from Bella Clarke, Annalise Bird and Madeline Caron, were not enough as GB got five goals from Trinity Stowell and four goals from Megan Milkowich, with Rachel Black adding two goals and four assists.
Skaneateles proceeded to oust General Brown 15-5 in last Thursday’s semifinal game, steadily gaining a 9-2 advantage by halftime as Newton and Logan each got four goals, Logan adding an assist.
Marquardt had three assists as she, along with O’Connor and Brogan, had two-goal outings. Morrissey picked up a goal and two assists.
Westhill, meanwhile, would start out by ripping past Cazenovia 13-1 in its opening-round sectional game, the game decided early as the Warriors led 11-1 by halftime.
Zerillo backed up her three goals by earning four assists, with Sampo scoring four times. Winkler and Sophia Caron both got two goals as Claire Hunter had a goal and three assists. Ava Robb also scored.
Now the Warriors found itself considered an underdog against 14-1, no. 2 seed South Jefferson in Thursday’s semifinal, but a fine all-around effort allowed Westhill to handle the Spartans and earn a 15-8 victory.
Up 9-4 by halftime, the Warriors’ depth on its attack proved too much for South Jefferson’s defense as Zerillo, Sampo and Lowery each got three goals, with Zerillo and Sampo earning assists.
Winkler, who notched three assists, scored twice, with McPeak and Rosemary Mahoney both getting two goals and one assist. Goalie Francesca Argentieri stopped eight of the Spartans’ 16 shots, but that would prove to be Westhill’s last win before it faced Skaneateles – and could not deny the Lakers perfection.
