CENTRAL NEW YORK – Already in 2024, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls lacrosse team has as many victories as it achieved in all of 2023 – and the way it got that third victory could have a long-lasting effect.
Trailing Jamesville-DeWitt late in regulation in last Friday’s local showdown, the Hornets made a remarkable comeback and, led by sophomore sensation Taylor Novack, pulled out an 11-10 overtime victory over the Red Rams.
A good portion of the game went exactly as J-D planned it, the Rams controlling the tempo and taking advantage of enough scoring chances to go in front and stay there.
With less than three minutes left, F-M was down 10-7. But then it got a goal, won a draw and converted again to quickly make it 10-9 and set up a dramatic conclusion to regulation.
Winning back possession, the Hornets moved it around until Novack, with 12 seconds to play, put the tying goal past Lucy Keib. Then, after gaining the ball in OT, it again ended up on Novack’s stick and she fired home the game-winner.
Those were Novack’s third and fourth goals of the night to go with a pair of assists. Help came from Julianna Cogliandro, Brooke Southwick, Kathryn McNany and Addison Keyes, who had two goals apiece as Southwick and McNany added assists.
On J-D’s side, Merris Kessler managed to match Novack’s four-goal effort. Brooke Bort and Margaret Bliss both scored twice, single goals going to Lillian Wells and Sadie Withers, though it saw F-M goalie Micaela Jennings record eight saves.
Close wins over Marcellus and Christian Brothers Academy had F-M in a good frame of mind going into its game with Watertown, but here the win streak halted, F-M falling 17-12 to the Cyclones.
Cogliandro, with four goals, and Novack, with three goals and two assists, remained productive, McNany adding two goals as single tallies went to Keyes, Southwick and Eleanor Madden.
Micaela Jennings’ 12 saves matched that of Watertown counterpart Lilah Beirl, but the Cyclones had five different multiple goal scorers, led by Alex Macutek and Delaney Callahan’s four goals apiece and three goals from Alena Clough.
CBA had, perhaps, the most difficult draw of all, having to go to Hyatt Stadium to race reigning state Class D champion Skaneateles, who again demonstrated its high quality in beating the Brothers 12-5.
Sknaeateles pulled away late after only being up 5-3 at halftime against a CBA side determined to slow the game down, but the Lakers adjusted and still pulled clear.
Paige Willard and Grace Marquardt both led the way with three goals apiece. Tatum Ryan converted twice, with Mara Stanton and Camryn Calabro each getting a goal and two assists. Sydney Vaughn, Maeve Mackenzie and Lilah Kirch had goals for the Brothers, with Caroline Harrigan and Emery McCartney getting assists.
J-D had to face its own undefeated foe, West Genesee, who routed the Red Rams 16-4. Kessler had one goal and one assist, with Bort, Bliss and Lacey Phaneuf also finding the net. Mia Gialto and Ashleigh Blanding led WG with three goals apiece.
Once past this, the results improved, starting a day later with CBA jumping out to a 13-2 halftime advantage on Jordan-Elbridge on the way to beating the Eagles 17-6.
Four different players – Mackenzie, Kirch, Vaughn and McCartney – recorded three-goal hat tricks, McCartney adding three assists. Madison Ceclia had a goal and two assists as Adele Summer, Carmella Fairbanks and Ryann Murphy each got one goal and one assist. Harrigan also earned a goal.
Also getting into the win column was East Syracuse Minoa, who returned from a week’s rest on Saturday and engineered a dramatic late comeback to defeat Chittenango in overtime in another 11-10 decision.
With less than two minutes left, the Bears took a 10-9 lead, but Madison Wood answered with a goal just before the one-mnute mark to even the game again and send it to OT.
Just 1:57 into the extra period, Wood put home the game-winner, her third goal of the day to match teammate Sophia Ferris. Anna Paduano and Liliana DiNatale both scored twice, with Camille Mitchell adding a goal. Jordis Aldrich and Laila Thomas had one assist apiece and each of Sara Godleski’s eight saves proved important.
F-M, also playing on Saturday, could not replicate its magic from the J-D comeback the night before, taking a 13-7 defeat to Indian River, unable to stop Michaela Delles, who burned the Hornets’ defense with eight goals.
Novack was held to two goals and, though Cogliandro scored four times and Keyes added a goal, IR gained a 7-3 lead by halftime and never got caught led by Delles and Ravan Marsell, who had two goals and six assists.
