CENTRAL NEW YORK – Three area high school girls lacrosse teams began their Section III playoff journeys early last week, but only two of them made it to the semifinal round.
Jamesville-DeWitt, seeking to take back the Class C throne, was the no. 2 seed and, when it beat no. 7 seed New Hartford 12-5 on Tuesday night, it earned a semifinal Thursday with Fulton, who topped the Red Rams in the 2022 sectional final.
New Hartford tried to slow the game’s tempo down, but J-D still led the Spartans 5-2 by halftime and pulled further away late as Merris Kessler paced the Rams, scoring four times.
Campbell Endries chimed in with a three-goal hat trick, while Brooke Bort and Lillian Wells each got two goals and one assist. Ava Mone added a goal and assist as goalie Lucy Keib stopped seven of New Hartford’s 12 direct shots.
Up in Class B, Fayetteville-Manlius, despite its 2-14 regular-season mark, still drew the no. 3 seed and a first-round home game against a no. 6 seed Oswego side that had won a program-record 12 games in the regular season.
But armed with playoff experience, the Hornets humbled the Buccaneers 14-1, controlling most of the draws and seeing three different players – Emily Noel, Taylor Novack and Grace Reyna – land three goals apiece.
Noel got two assists, as did Sarah Porter, while Caroline Steigerwald, Brooke Southwick and Anne Leonard each had one goal and one assist. Addison Keyes and Kathryn McNany also found the net, with Micaela Jennings and Hannah Williamson combining on six saves as F-M will face no. 2 seed Auburn in the semifinal round.
By contrast, Christian Brothers Academy, who had closed the regular season with six wins in a row and was the no. 5 seed in Class B, went to no. 4 seed Watertown and saw its season end with an 11-8 defeat to the Cyclones.
Though Maeve Mackenzie had three goals and two assists, she didn’t get much help, Mia Kirch scoring twice and Amelia Bonacci getting a goal and two assists. Madison Ceclia had the only other goal.
Once Watertown got in front, it stayed there, led by Amalia Netto, Alena Clough and Alex Macutek each putting in three goals and Ava Virga making seven saves, one more than CBA counterpart Maddie Evans.
