CORTLAND – Once again, the Skaneateles girls lacrosse team has placed itself on the brink of a state Class D championship.
In a tense semifinal Friday morning at Cortland High School, the Lakers nearly let a five-goal lead on Long Island champion Cold Spring Harbor get away, but held on to defeat the Seahawks 6-5.
CSH brought plenty of its own recent history of success at this level, having won state Class C titles in 2018 and 2019 before moving to Class D. It also brought a defense that would make Skaneateles work hard for every single goal.
In fact, more than 11 minutes elapsed before Julia O’Connor broke the 0-0 deadlock with a strong solo run from the point, and she took over from there, adding two more goals after Bella Brogan converted to make it a 4-0 margin late in the half.
CSH finally got on the board with Ryan Reynolds’ goal, but was unable to inch closer despite several chances and the Lakers went to halftime with a 4-1 edge.
Just as it had done in the Section III final against South Jefferson, Skaneateles’ defense played at a high level. The quartet of Katie Reed, Ella Bobbett, Claire Neumann and Emily Huttar constantly harassed the Seahawks’ attackers, protecting goalie Emily Evans, who only had to make four saves.
Trying to put the game away, Skaneateles charged at the outset of the second half, Lilly Marquardt scoring 36 seconds in, and the defense making more stops before Camryn Calabro converted with 15:50 left.
Despite getting shut out for more than 20 minutes, CSH nearly caught up. Reynolds hit with 9:59 left and Hannah Van Son converted two minutes later.
Now up 6-3, Skaneateles held the ball for more than four minutes, only to turn it over as Reynolds hit on her third goal with 2:51 left. Again the Lakers attempted to run out the clock, but again CSH got the ball back and, working it around, saw Maggie Spehr with 21 seconds to play.
Having to win the ensuing draw, the Lakers did so when Paige Willard guided it to O’Connor, Skaneateles securing its 11th trip to the state final in program history.
A few miles away, at SUNY-Cortland, West Genesee made its return to the state final four after an eight-year absence, only to run into the most successful girls lacrosse program in state history.
Garden City, winner of 15 previous state championships, met the Wildcats in the state semifinals, and the Trojans moved closer to adding another crown, prevailing by a score of 12-6.
For a brief moment in the early going, WG seemed ready for the immense challenge, getting goals from Madelyn Rider and Ashleigh Blanding to grab a 2-1 advantage in the first four minutes.
But the Trojans took charge with a 5-0 run, featuring two goals apiece from Kyle Finnell and Kendall Morris. Even after Blanding scored a second time, Farrell countered with her third goal and the Wildcats trailed 7-3 at the break.
Maria Snyder cut it to 7-4 early in the second half. Garden City converted twice, only to have Molly Doran answer with back-to-back goals that made it 9-6.
From there, though, WG would not get on the board, the Trojans using three consecutive goals (two of them into an open net) to double its winning margin and set up a title game against defending champion Victor.
Wildcats goalie Allie Hanlon finished with seven saves. Seven different Garden City players would find the net, led by Finnell and Morris with three goals apiece.
