ONONDAGA COUNTY – In terms of the regular season, no 48-hour stretch for the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team than what it found out going up against its two biggest rivals.
First, the Northstars sought to gain the upper hand against Liverpool and did so, rolling to a 17-7 victory last Tuesday night at LHS Stadium.
Then, back home at Bragman Stadium two nights later, C-NS offered its challenge to reigning state Class A champion Baldwinsville, and made a strong closing push, though it could not overcome a large deficit in a 12-8 defeat.
Energetic out of the gate, C-NS saw Gabby Putman claim the opening draw and score 50 seconds into the game – but it would turn out to be the Northstars’ lone lead.
B’ville seized control with five goals in a span of less than 2 ½ minutes, along with a defense that blanked C-NS for more than 22 minutes as it stretched out to an 11-3 advantage at one point early in the second half.
But the Northstars regrouped and chipped away at the deficit throughout the rest of the game, Sophia Nesci getting all of her three goals in the second half to match Putman as Mackenzie Prentice got four assists, joining Elizabeth Smith in the one-goal column.
Combined, Jillie Howell and Nicole Mirra had nine saves, but watched as the Bees got five goals from Brianna Peters and three goals from Carlie Desimone, who added four assists. Mia Pozzi had two goals and three assists.
First, though, was the game against Liverpool, an instance where the Northstars displayed its full depth amid chilly conditions 50 degrees colder than the heat they played in the week before.
Nesci, scoring five times and adding two assists, led the way, though Smith and Marissa Doty both got three-goal hat tricks and Smith added a pair of assists.
Brooke Molchanoff and Kaelyn Reid had two goals apiece, Molchanoff adding two assists. Prentice got three assists as Natalie Wilson and Gabby Pauline picked up single goals.
On Liverpool’s side, only Grace Geary scored twice, adding two assists. Abby Geary had a goal and three assists as Emma Esposito, Caitlyn Guilfoil, Gianna Carbone and Mia Berthoff had the other goals.
From all this, Liverpool absorbed the lessons and then, on Thursday night, made its trip to West Genesee, where it managed to put together its finest effort of the season and edged the Wildcats 10-9.
Remarkably, WG’s previous two games were both 10-9 victories – one over CBA, another over Fayetteville-Manlius – and this would prove just as tight and tense from start to finish.
It took four goals from Guilfoil and three goals from Abby Geary to pace the Liverpool attack, help coming from Carbone’s two goals and one assist. Berthoff added a goal and Grace Geary an assist as, for the Wildcats, only Caraline Major (three goals) and Ashleigh Blanding (two goals) found the net more than once.
After this big win, Liverpool did not have a letdown Saturday, topping Section II’s Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 11-5 to move to the .500 mark (4-4) behind three-goal hat tricks from Carbone and Esposito, with Guilfoil and Grace Geary each scoring twice. Lilia Hertweck also picked up a goal.
