Westhill girls lacrosse ousts Skaneateles in sectional Class D semifinal

CHITTENANGO – At long last, the Westhill girls lacrosse team is poised to win a Section III championship, having surpassed what looked like the biggest obstacle of all while ending the state championship reign of Skaneateles.

There was little question that the Warriors’ 10-9 victory over the Lakers in Thursday night’s sectional Class D semifinal at Chittenango High School represents a significant landmark for a program accustomed to winning but never going as far as it wanted.

Year after year, Westhill had strove for glory, only to get turned back, most often by the Lakers, who built a great portion of its formidable championship legacy at the Warriors’ expense.

Even in 2024, when it seemed poised to change, Skaneateles had won a 7-6 battle with Westhill when they played late in April on Paige Willard’s goal with 11 seconds left.

The Lakers were 16-1, winners of 13 in a row. Its only defeat had come by a single goal to West Genesee early in the season. Westhill had four losses, including setbacks to Auburn and CBA, teams that didn’t even reach their sectional finals.

From the outset, though, the Warriors played at the tempo it wanted, with long possessions that kept Skaneateles from the fast-paced game that it wanted.

That patience led to goals and a modest 5-4 Westhill lead at halftime. All through the second half, the trade of goals continued, yet the Warriors never once lost its poise or confidence.

Carrying the attack along, Rosie Mahoney netted three goals, but her three assists were even more important as she often fed it to Aubrey Holowinski, whose four goals ran her season total to 35.

Sophia Lasher and Kara Rosenberger each had one goal and one assist, with Nora Fitzgerald adding a crucial goal and the defense making sure that no Skaneateles player could equal the production of Holowinski or Mahoney.

Tatum Ryan led the Lakers with three goals. Both Willard (one goal, one assist) and Grace Marquardt (two goals, one assist) were relatively contained, Anasofia Cirincione adding two goals and one assist as Camryn Calabro got a goal and assist.

Now the question was whether Westhill, having scaled this mountain, would soar toward a championship, or meet a different fate against a strong no. 2 seed, South Jefferson, in next Tuesday’s title game at SUNY-Cortland.

The Spartans had routed Marcellus 20-5 in the first sectional semifinal at Chittenango, not even coming close to taxing itself as it tore apart the Mustangs’ defense in the first half and built a 14-2 advantage.

Four different South Jefferson players lit it up, with Jade Doldo tying her season mark with five goals and Savannah Hodges, Emma Kelley and Brooke Perry each scoring four times, Hodges adding three assists. Marcellus’ season ended with a record of 11-7.