CENTRAL NEW YORK – A pair of impressive wins to start the 2025 season may have lured the West Genesee girls lacrosse team into an early sense of complacency.
If that was the case, Section V’s Penn Yan nearly got rid of it last Monday night, the Class D school pushing the Wildcats all the way to the final seconds.
However, WG did escape to win it 10-9, helped in no small part by a well-balanced attack where no single player scored more than twice but four players – Sophia Lawrence, Maria Snyder, Ashleigh Blanding and Keira Vrabel – netted two goals apiece. Allison Kittell and Molly Doran both picked up single goals, while Maddie Ryder joined Vrabel in the assist column.
Then the Wildcats dominated Fulton Thursday in a 16-4 romp where, again, the production was spread around.
Snyder led with four goals, but Blanding and Lawrence were close behind, each scoring three times, and Kittell set a career mark with five assists. Vrabel converted twice, with Gianna Puccia getting a goal and two assists. Ryder and Kaelyn Stone also had goals.
Jordan-Elbridge got involved in its own 10-9 game last Monday but lost to Homer, a game which was back and forth all night long with neither side able to get clear.
Three-goal hat tricks by Kelsey Brunelle and Stella Opanhoske kept the Eagles close. Bri Gilfus had two goals and two assists, with Brenna Tubbert adding one goal and one assist. J-E goalie Ellie Brim earned six saves.
What followed was a quiet mid-week stretch as all games last Tuesday were postponed by winter weather and no one else saw game action until Thursday night, when a milestone was reached and a powerhouse roared back to form.
During J-E’s 13-10 victory over Chittenango, Brunelle netted four goals, putting her past 100 for her career, helped by Gilfus getting four goals and two assists. Tubbert and Zoe Karcz added two goals apiece, with Marcelline Titus adding a goal and assist and Opanhoske also converting.
Then there was Skaneateles making quite a recovery from the defeat it took to WG on April 5 when, facing undefeated Christian Brothers Academy, it roared past the Brothers 16-4.
A 10-1 first half decided matters, the Lakers leaning heavily on the veteran duo of Paige Willard and Mara Stanton as both finished with five goals and Willard also earned three assists.
Grace Marquardt completed the top Skaneateles line with a three-goal effort, while Sophia Nichols, Madison Rossi and Rowan Thompson had one goal apiece.
Another big win followed on Saturday, the Lakers handling Section II’s Shaker 13-6 by bolting out to a 10-0 halftime advantage, Marquardt unstoppable as she got seven goals overall. Stanton netted three goals, with Kate Falkenberg scoring twice
Finally making its season debut on Thursday night, Westhill found itself in a high-scoring battle with Homer in the first half before it outscored the Trojans 12-1 in the second half to record a 23-8 victory.
Kara Rosenberger finished with six goals and three assists, with Melissa Mondo close behind getting five goals and two assists and Sophia Lasher also netting a hat trick.
Just as impressive was a 16-5 romp over Liverpool on Saturday where Rosenberger put up five goals and Holowinski four goals, Lasher adding three goals and two assists. Mondo scored twice and added a single assist.
Aubrey Holowinski, Grace Stroman and Nora Fitzgerald had two goals apiece, with Holowinski, Avery Starowicz and Kaylin Murphy each getting two assists. Margaret Vaughn also put in a goal.
Marcellus, who had started 0-2, also got its first win of the spring handling Cortland 17-4 with Cece Powell again at the forefront finshing her day with five goals and two assists.
Avery Shute scored four times, with Vivian Pilon stepping up for her first three-goal hat trick at the varsity level. Quinn Child and Piper Van Derhoff also put in goals and Leah Wood contributed an assist.
Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes fell to Mexico 15-7, with the Tigers led by Hailey Workman’s five goals and one assist as Rachel Gagnier scored twice and got three assists. Haylee Hayes and Brooke Sutton also scored twice.
Then Ludden/Grimes fell 18-2 to Cazenovia, only getting goals from Charlotte Hsiao and Jane Fallon as the Lakers featured Tara Pratt’s four goals and Hayden Bubble’s three goals and three assists.