C-NS girls lacrosse rallies for OT win over B’ville

By PHil BlACKWEll

Once again, the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team managed to earn a dramatic overtime victory against Baldwinsville on the turf at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.

And while the stakes last Tuesday night did not match those of the 2021 Section III Class A final, this 11-10 victory greatly boosted the Northstars’ chances to get back to the top and unseat the reigning state champions.

Trailing 9-5 in the second half, C-NS made it all the way back, sparked mainly by the duo of Mackenzie Prentice and Brooke Molchanoff as Elizabeth Smith hit with 4:32 left capped a 5-0 run that produced a 10-9 advantage.

Mia Pozzi tied it for B’ville with 2:20 to play, and both sides missed chances in the final two minutes, leading to OT, where Gabby Putman pushed the draw to Smith, who gained possession.

For more than two minutes, the Northstars patiently worked it around the Bees’ net, making defenders guess when it would attack. Then Molchanoff, just behind the cage, passed to the front, and Prentice one-timed it past

Ava Graham for the game-winner.

C-NS went into the game with a 12-1 record, the lone blemish a 12-8 loss to B’ville on April 20 where it had fallen behind as much as eight goals before making a late surge.

Twice in this rematch, the Bees threatened to run away again, jumping out 4-1 in the game’s opening minutes and, after C-NS stayed within range the rest of the half, building that 9-5 margin early in the second half led by Brianna Peters’ four goals and Carlie Distefano’s six assists.

What kept it close was that the Northstars made enough stops, and won enough draws, to gain more possession time that eventually wore B’ville’s defenses down - and led to a victory.

Prentice finished with five goals and three assists. Molchanoff and Smith both scored twice, Molchanoff adding two assists, while Putman and Marissa Doty had the other goals.

When C-NS trailed West Genesee at halftime two nights later, fears of a letdown persisted, but again the Northstars played strong in the second half and ended up beating the Wildcats

13-9.

Here, Putman and Doty went to the forefront, each scoring four times to make WG pay for the attention given to Prentice, who still had a goal and two assists. Molchanoff added three assists as she and Kaelyn Reid converted once and Shea Firth had a pair of goals.

This happened as Liverpool, seeking to complete a regular-season sweep of West Genesee at LHS Stadium, could not quite do so, taking a 10-7 defeat to the Wildcats.

Addyson Graham’s three-goal hat trick was complemented by two goals from Gianna Carbone. Abby Geary and Mia Berthoff had the other Liverpool goals as WG’s Olivia Blanding and Mia Gialto had three goals apiece.

Two days later, against Marcellus, Liverpool lost 11-9. Though Berthoff and Carbone each had three goals and Kaitlyn Guilfoil converted twice, the Mustangs pulled it out mostly due to five goals by Cece Powell and four goals by Claire Card, dropping Liverpool’s record to 5-10 before a Tuesday regularseason finale with B’ville.