Girls Lax Notebook
Yorktown Falls to Suffern in Overtime
By Tony Pinciaro
Four girls’ lacrosse teams from the Northern Westchester/Putnam Examiner coverage area had excellent 2019 season with three semifinalists and a finalist.
YORKTOWN defeated Fox Lane in a Section 1 Class B semifinal, advancing to the championship game against fellow perennial sectional power, Suffern. Suffern, which had always competed in Class A, was in Class B this season and it beat Yorktown in overtime, 7-6. Kelsey McDonnell scored three times, including the game-tying goal to force overtime, and Alexa Borges, Sophia Spallone and Jesse Barer each added a goal.
CARMEL had its finest season, perhaps ever, as the Rams advanced to the Section 1 Class B semifinals, where they lost, 18-10 to eventual champion Suffern.
Margaret Flocco registered a team-leading four goals and Katie Taranto had a hat trick for the Rams, who finished with a 10-8 record.
A young LAKELAND/PANAS team, led by senior Emily Kness, advanced to the Section 1 Class A semifinals only to fall to eventual champion, North Rockland. It was the second time this season that North Rockland beat the Rebels.
The Rebels finished 9-9 and even though it is .500, Kness feels this team made huge strides beginning with the first winter workout in January.
“We had been working really hard from January to the when the season started and throughout the season,” said Kness, who will attend Colgate University this fall and play field hockey. “We had practices indoors and when we were able to get outside. We had a lot of talent, so we just had to put it together and learn to play with each other.”
The Rebels opened the season with an overtime win over 2018 Section 1 Class C champion and state semifinalist, Brewster. The win gave Kness and her teammates a good feeling of what they could achieve.
“We knew that Brewster was a really strong team,” said Kness, who led Lakeland in scoring with 59 goals and 14 assists. “It was a tough game and winning in overtime made us excited about that.”
Lakeland/Panas experienced some peaks and valleys, which is to be expected with a young team, but one thing the Rebels had was a good work ethic. And it began in January.
“Our younger players are really dedicated,” Kness said. “They came to everything, proving themselves to be a part of a really good program.
“They showed that they wanted to work hard. Even the JV girls were coming, which was impressive. It gave us a good mentality, showing everyone wanted to be there and work hard.”
Lakeland/Panas finished second in its league, to Mahopac, and opened sectionals with a 12-9 win over White Plains, which had beaten the Rebels, 9-8, in the regular season.
Kness, along with fellow seniors – Julia Araujo (20 goals, 5 assists), Gianna Scialdone, Samantha Cerrato and Cara O’Shea, graduate. However, coach Rebecca DiSisto-Leslie has a core group returning in 2020 led by Keirra Ettere (42 goals), Megan Mucci (27 goals), Katelyn Cerrato (16 goals) and Raquel Nieves (10 goals).
“I’m really excited,” said Kness of the program’s future. “They’re a really talented bunch of girls who will be really successful in the future.”
HEN HUD had another successful season, advancing to the Section 1 Class C semifinals.
The Sailors were defeated by eventual champion, John Jay-Cross River, 10-9. It was Hen Hud’s second one-goal loss to the Indians this season. John Jay overcame Hen Hud, in overtime in a regular-season game.
During the season, Hen Hud registered wins over Suffern, the Section 1 Class B champion, Rye, a Section 1 Class C finalist, Lakeland/Panas and, following a regular-season loss to Brewster, beat the Bears in a sectional game.
Sophomore Kira Varada led Hen Hud with 88 goals and 18 assists and classmate Fiona McGovern was next with 62 goals and 29 assists.
Hen Hud will among the Section 1 elite next year with everyone returning except one – senior and captain Haley Merchant. Merchant’s leadership and field presence will be sorely missed.
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