IRONDEQUOIT — Too often in 2023, Penfield's girls lacrosse team looked up at the scoreboard and found itself on the wrong end of a one- or two-goal game.
The script has flipped this spring. The Patriots are 5-1 in games decided by one goal, a major reason why Penfield is the Section V Class A tournament's No. 1 seed and in the hunt for its first section title since 2018.
"A lot of the girls out there have experienced that, either climbing uphill or losing close games. Now they know what they need to win those games," Penfield coach Dave York said. "They have really good game sense. If it's a one-goal game and we have the ball, they're really smart choosing the best shots possible."
After losing three of five out of the gates, Penfield won 10 of its next 11 and its six-game streak is one of Section V's longest. The team features one of Section V's best in the circle with Peyton Rothfuss, plus six players in double-digit scoring (Rothfuss, Emma Alexander, Jenna Capozzi, Avery Fordham, Whitney Reynolds and Reegan Sercu ) and the steady play of freshman goalie Karis Hand .
Penfield isn't sleeping on the significance of its No. 1 spot. Higher seeds host games through the section semifinals which, with a slip-up, could've meant a trip to No. 2 Rush-Henrietta
Why does that matter? The Royal Comets own one of Section V's few remaining grass fields. It was also the venue for one of Penfield's few losses this season.
"That's the biggest home field advantage, I think. It's one thing we wanted to avoid, even though we always want to chase the No. 1 seed anyway," York said. "The game (on grass) is so much slower. The biggest thing is ground balls and any 50-50 battles where that ball's on the ground. Bounce shots on turf versus on grass, the ball reacts differently. (Rush-Henrietta) practicing on that 100% of the time definitely gives an upper hand."
Penfield wrapped up its regular season, and the No.1 seed, on Wednesday at Irondequoit. Appropriately, the game was decided by one goal with the Patriots on the winning end thanks to Capozzi's late tally.
If the Patriots are Section V's last team standing, expect it'll be more of the same.
"I think this last game was really important, to lead with the correct foot going into the postseason," York said. "We just want to feed off the energy and keep it rolling. We know we can beat any of the teams in Section V and they're hungry for it."
Section V Class A girls lacrosse tournament
- Defending champion: Fairport
- Top seed: Penfield
- Semifinals: Wednesday, May 22 at higher seed
- Final: Tuesday, May 28 at FLCC
The breakdown: Rush-Henrietta went undefeated against teams in the tournament. Kate DeWald leads the Royal Comets in draw controls and goals scored, and shares the team lead in points with Danielle Garrett . Fairport is the defending Class A state champion, but enters sectionals with losses in four of its last five (each loss was against a current state-ranked team). Camryn DuBose, Ella Peers and Katie Mallaber all posted 30-plus goals for the Red Raiders. Greece possesses one of Section V's best one-two punches with Mara Misiurewicz (82 goals) and Erica Savage (54 assists).
Section V Class B girls lacrosse tournament
- Defending champion: Victor
- Top seed: Canandaigua
- Semifinals: Thursday, May 23 at higher seed
- Final: Wednesday, May 29 at FLCC
The breakdown: Victor opens its section and state title defense as a No. 2 seed in the Section V tournament. The Blue Devils have won eight straight, led by Devin Livingston who posted 36 goals during that stretch. Victor's last loss came April 22 to then-undefeated Canandaigua. The top-seeded Gray Wolves opened 13-0, but have dropped two of their last three. One of those defeats came to sixth-seeded Brighton. The Bruins' season resume includes wins over three of Section V's top seeds: Penfield (Class A), Canandaigua (Class B) and Mercy (Class C). Spencerport's Molly Guzik submitted another All-American-worthy season by leading her team in goals, points, draw controls and ground balls. The fifth-seeded Rangers open sectionals at No. 4 Irondequoit, in a rematch of a 9-8 overtime contest from mid-April when eighth-grader Lucy Whipple was the hero.
Section V Class C girls lacrosse tournament
- Defending champion: Honeoye Falls-Lima
- Top seed: Mercy
- Semifinals: Thursday, May 23 at higher seed
- Final: Wednesday, May 29 at FLCC
The breakdown: A quirk of the sectional seeding system, top seeds Mercy (7-9) and Honeoye Falls-Lima (7-9) both own records below .500. The Monarchs won the teams' meeting on April 16, 10-8, with Mia Lusardi, Mia Quagrello, Maeve Shanahan and Krista Harnischfeger all scoring multiple goals. That depth, backed by freshman goalie Elinor Meyer (.507 save percentage), could decide the tournament. Sophomore Shaye Angelo has been HFL's most productive player with 47 goals and 64 points. No Class C team has more wins than No. 3 Eastridge/Bishop Kearney (10-5), which enters sectionals on a five-game streak. Junior Ada Krupa is one of only two players in Section V that currently rank top five in both goals scored and draw controls (Spencerport's Guzik is the other).
Section V Class D girls lacrosse tournament
- Defending champion: Penn Yan
- Top seed: Penn Yan
- Semifinals: Wednesday, May 22 at higher seed
- Final: Tuesday, May 28 at FLCC
The breakdown: Six of the eight teams in the bracket have records above .500, while three -- Penn Yan, Waterloo and Palmyra-Macedon -- exceeded 12 wins. Penn Yan won the first girls tournament in 1995 and owns nine titles overall. Of the Mustangs' three losses, two came against an out-of-section opponent. Waterloo's Maci Mueller has been Section V's most dangerous scorer this season with 39 goals in her last six games and 88 overall. The latter figure leads the section.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Section V girls lacrosse playoff preview: Penfield leads Class A, Victor chases three-peat
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