GIRLS LACROSSE FAR WEST REGIONALS
Section VI girls lacrosse is swept away
Lancaster falls to Fairport, 14-11
Published: June 07, 2009, 12:30 am
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BRIGHTON — Girls lacrosse continues to grow in Section VI, but it’s still in its infant stages when compared to some of the superpowers in Section V. That was made abundantly clear Saturday during the Far West Regionals at Brighton High School, as the Rochester-area schools swept the Buffalo- area’s best.
Lancaster — which last year became the first Section VI team in history to reach the state semifinals— couldn’t repeat as Class A Far West champions, falling, 14-11, to Fairport in the nightcap of a tripleheader.
“We left everything on the field,” Lancaster coach Julie Buccieri said. “We did the very best we could and that’s a great feeling.”
The other two games weren’t nearly as close. In a rematch of last year’s Class C regional, Honeoye Falls-Lima came out on top again, downing Amherst, 17-6.
In Class B, West Seneca West’s improbable postseason run ended with a 24-2 loss to Canandaigua.
The victorious Braves entered the game ranked first in the state Class B poll. The Indians, meanwhile, earned their first Section VI title in the program’s 10-year history with four straight postseason victories after a 4-12 regular season.
A combined crowd of 900 watched most of the excitement come under the lights in the Class A final.
Three goals in the span of 46 seconds turned a 6-5 Lancaster lead into an 8-6 deficit with 3:14 to go in the first half, sending Fairport (16-4 overall) on its way to the win. Shelby Vakiener would add one more for the Red Raiders a couple minutes later to give them a 9-6 halftime advantage.
“We knew that their cutters are so strong, and sometimes we just weren’t as athletic on defense as they were,” Buccieri said. “We worked hard and tried to stay with them but sometimes they got that open shot and placed it perfectly.”
Back-to-back goals by Lancaster’s Lindsey Morgan made the score 12-8 Fairport midway through the second half and gave the Redskins and their fans some hope. The run didn’t last long, however, as Fairport’s Lindsay McKinnon scored with 15:32 to play.
Just 11 seconds later, Vakiener struck to make it 14-8.
“That was the turning point,” Buccieri said.
Senior All-Western New Yorker Maria Kotas led the Redskins (19-3) with four goals, while Lindsay Morgan and Sarah Aldrich added two each. McKinnon had four to lead the Red Raiders.
In the middle game, senior Alyssa Johnston had two of her four goals in the first five minutes, helping Canandaigua to a lead that would grow to 18-0 by halftime.
“They already felt to some degree that they had done their job, and they came out a little flat because of that,” West Seneca West coach Mark Komosinski said.
The Indians got their first goal when a streaking Emily Lelito got past the defense and beat the Braves goaltender high to the stick side. Allyson Wolf also scored for West Seneca West (8-13).
In the opener Saturday, Amherst stayed with Honeoye Falls-Lima early, but the Cougars used a 6-0 run midway through the first half to pull away for the win. Honeoye Falls (18-2), ranked second in the state, got six goals from speedy junior midfielder Lindsey Powell.
Canisius-bound senior Abbie Gowen, an All-Western New York selection in 2008, led the Tigers (16-2) with a hat trick. Amherst also graduates goalie Ellie Poleon, who had 18 saves Saturday, and defenseman Erin Edson.
“We don’t face this competition regularly so there’s a lack of readiness in that regard,” Amherst coach Janet Battaglia said. “What we do the next time we’re here starts with what we do tomorrow.”
The victorious Section V teams advance to the state semifinals Friday at Cortland State.
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