Byram’s Byrnes Pots 300th Career Goal; Yorktown on the Move

By Tony Pinciaro

Every time Anastasia Byrnes steps on the lacrosse field she immediately becomes the center of attention – by the opponent.

The BYRAM HILLS’ senior is one of the most prolific offensive players in Section 1 as evidenced by her 54 goals this season and a phenomenal 300 for her varsity career.

Byrnes, a five-year varsity player, recently became only the third player in Westchester County history to score 300 goals when she netted three in a loss to North Rockland.

Prior to that, Byrnes scored seven goals in wins over Dobbs Ferry and Sleepy Hollow.

Byrnes is only the third Westchester County girl to score 300 goals, joining record-holder Sammy Jo Tracy (327 goals, played at North Carolina) and Lindsay Toppe (301), both Fox Lane graduates. Byrnes is also the sixth Section 1 girl to reach 300 goals. Clarkstown North graduate Shari Maslin holds the standard with 443.

Ironically, Byrnes and her teammates hosted Clarkstown North, Monday, and she surpassed Toppe.

“When I was told about 300 goals, I thought that was crazy,” said Byrnes, who will attend American University (Washington D.C.) in September, major in Political Sciene and will also play lacrosse. “When I was starting to play high school I  never really thought that was going to be. That started me on my journey and I kept chasing it. It’s been really exciting to keep chasing that feeling.”

It was only natural that Byrnes was going to play lacrosse. Her mother played on a state-title team at John Jay-Cross River and sister, Irene (two years older), played. Irene, who attends Trinity College in Dublin and is majoring in Biology, plays for the city of Dublin. Byrnes began playing in fourth grade and immediately fell in love with the sport. Having an older sister, who is also a defender, helped Byrnes develop her offensive prowess.

“It was just fun for me,” Byrnes said. “My sister and I would spend the entire day in our backyard playing 1 v. 1. My mom’s dad also played lacrosse in college. It’s just like a family thing. I have always loved to watch and play the sport.”

Once Byrnes began playing with her sister in fifth grade, she grew accustomed to competing against the older girls and realized lacrosse was her sport. And, her older sister was instrumental in this.

“My sister was bigger and stronger than me, but by playing with her team and against girls who were older and stronger than me, it gave me a good base of how I could play at the next level,” said Byrnes, who lost her eighth-grade lacrosse season to Covid as high school sports were canceled in spring 2020. “I found success, kept striving for it and looking for any way to get better.”

One way was going against Irene in the backyard.

“I’ve been used to playing against my sister for so long that it helped me gain a level of toughness. We share everything, including that level of competition. She would always beat me when I was younger. She beat the heck out of me, but as I got older and stronger I was able to match up to her.”

The two would later become varsity teammates. All of the backyard matchups enabled Byrnes to eventually thrive. It would also help Byrnes deal with the added attention without any difficulty.

Byrnes welcomes the double-teams and face guarding because she knows that when this happens, her teammates will be open and she is more than willing to be a facilitator.

“I have definitely gotten used to the faceguard, by this point,” Byrnes said. “I rely on my teammates and trust my teammates. They’re always working to get open and help me to get open.”

Byrnes will welcome home her sister later this week. Byrnes and her teammates will close out the regular season with three games and then on to sectionals. She knows how promising the team is and has been playing so Byrnes continues to enjoy her final high school season.

“We’re really excited because we know we have good things ahead,” Byrnes said. “We have a tough game ahead with Harrison which will be a great test. I like to think of it (sectionals) as a new season. We can rewrite any of the wrongs prior, and create a new identity for ourselves.”

Byram Hills has been doing this even in its two victories last week.

Balanced scoring was the key in an 11-3 win over Dobbs Ferry as Keira Eckhardt, Ava Gitler, Liv Bergstein and Byrnes each had two scores.

Byrnes led the offense with five goals in a 16-9 triumph of Sleepy Hollow. Lila Vincequerra, Eckhardt and Gitler chipped in with three goals apiece and Eckhardt also assisted on four scores.

YORKTOWN had a big week as it continued its excellent play with a 10-8 win over fellow sectional champion, John Jay-Cross River, 10-8.

The Cornhuskers did not let down following their impact win. They came to play in a 9-4 triumph of Mahopac on Senior Night, resulting in a league title.

“The key to our big win over John Jay was definitely our teamwork and communication on the field,” said senior and captain Reileigh McEnroe. “Everyone gave their all, and we really played as a united team.

“Winning on Senior Night and clinching the league title meant the world to us seniors. It was such a special moment for us to end our regular season on a high note. The team really came together to make it happen and it was a great way to honor the seniors. What brought our team together was a shared goal of winning the league title.”

The Cunneen sisters – Annie and Ava – each had a hat trick against John Jay. Ava also had four draw-controls. Ava Ryan added two scores and had three ground balls. Maggie Appelle made six saves.

Lily Diaz was the offensive star on Senior Night with four goals and five draw-controls. Alison Passarella, Brie Gaccino and Ava Cunneen had one goal and one assist apiece. Samantha Robustelli and Ryan each collected three ground balls.

Appelle finished with nine saves.

Gianna Cirelli had two goals for MAHOPAC.

PLEASANTVILLE went 3 for 3 last week, improving to 11-3 on the season.

The Panthers clipped Croton, 10-2, in a game stopped at halftime because of weather. They secured an 11-8 win over 2023 Class B finalist Horace Greely and closed out the week with a 19-8 victory over a vastly-improved Putnam Valley.

“I am super proud of our work ethic the last two weeks,” Pleasantville coach Hannah Tiso said. “The girls are dialed in during practice and games and they know that it takes hard work and grit to compete with any/all teams in Section 1. We are at a good point in our season where our team is confident and healthy. We are looking forward and excited for the next chapter in our season, playoffs!”

Erin Drillock continued her offensive prowess with five goals against Croton. Faith Brown added two goals and set up five others and Ella Collins contributed one goal and two assists.

Brown led the offense against Greeley with five goals. Drillock netted two goals and Juliana Karaqi, Maddie Becerra, Ella McCourtney and Collins each had one goal.

FOX LANE added three more wins to its ledger and is now 11-3 this season.

The Foxes honored their seniors on Senior Night and sent them home with a 20-9 win over New Rochelle.

Fox Lane went on to edge Somers, 8-7, and control Bay Shore (L.I.), 15-3.

“Somers was a big win for us,” Fox Lane coach Jaime Williams said. “Somers played John Jay to a one-goal game, a close game with Yorktown and they beat Greeley, so we knew it would be a tough game.

“Our team played a great game, especially our defense and goalie, Sara Renz. Sometimes, it’s tough to play back-to-back games, especially playing a Long Island team, but the girls did not let up. The team came out strong for all four quarters and Sara was outstanding. I was proud of our offense having five different goalscorers and working really well together.”

On Senior Night Zoe Stonecipher was the leader with a game-best six goals and Michaela Saltas had a hat trick.

Sophia Bueti, Kami Boniello (two assists) and Cofa Moore (five draw-controls) each had two scores.

Stonecipher paced the offense, once again, against Somers with four goals. She also achieved her 200th draw-control.

Kaltsas added three scores and Amanda Griffin and Bueti each picked up three ground balls. Renz was a pivotal reason in the win with 12 saves.

Michaela Kaltsas capped her week with five goals against Bay Shore. Boniello and Moore each had a hat trick and Stonecipher scored twice and assisted on five goals.

Bueti added six draw-controls and Renz had another excellent game with 12 saves.

The offense fueled CARMEL to a pair of wins as the Rams outscored Pawling and Arlington, 31-15.

“It feels good to be 2-1 in our league, so far,” Carmel coach Kerry Hackert said. “We are looking forward to continuing our success this week with our last two league games this season.”

Kaiyla Gard scored a season-high six goals and Julia Lisi added two goals, three assists and four draw-controls in the 14-9 win over Pawling.

Sophia King also scored two goals. Violet DeLuca had a team-high five draw-controls and Jorja Tompuri scooped up four ground balls.

Gard displayed her scoring touch with five goals in a 17-6 victory over Arlington.

Faith Mahoskey combined for seven goals – hat trick and four assists. Brooke Peters also registered a hat trick and Kaelyn Motta added two goals.

Goalie Cat Tonchuck finished with five, including the 500th of her varsity career.

PUTNAM VALLEY is continuing its renaissance under coach Amanda Vasta.

The Tigers opened the week with a 15-6 victory over Dobbs Ferry, but played a red-hot Pleasantville team and lost 19-8.

Despite the loss, Putnam Valley is 6-6, surpassing last year’s win total.

“Despite our young team, we were fully prepared to outperform teams that we hadn’t necessarily defeated before the year,” Vasta said. “I genuinely believe that we are the team that nobody expects to come out on top and our triumph will surprise many.”

Seven Tigers’ scored goals against Dobbs Ferry, led by a game-high five from Ava Harman. Ella Wendol added a hat trick and two assists and Bella Coletti and Lilly Cottrell each netted two goals. Angie Moreno Sosa was excellent in the cage with 10 saves.

Harman scored four goals and Wendol contributed two goals against Pleasantville.

WESTLAKE split two games – 16-5 win over Valhalla and a 15-8 setback to Briarcliff.

Shaina Picucci and Maeve Walsh scored four and three goals, respectively, against rival Valhalla. Lia Prosperino and Hailey McCloskey scored two goals apiece and Isabella Schliman was dominant with seven draw-controls.

Juliana Conley led VALHALLA with a hat trick and four draw-controls.

Walsh scored five goals against Briarcliff and Prosperino added two goals.

BRIARCLIFF received a game-high six goals and seven draw-controls from Diana Jones in a 15-8 win over Westlake.

Nicky Einhorn added double fives – goals and draw-controls – and Lily Rowe scored twice.

LAKELAND/PANAS sent its seniors home victorious on Senior Night following a 12-9 win over Brewster.

Brooke Pizzarello, who recently scored her 100th varsity goal, surpassed 50 goals on the season with four more. She also assisted on two.

Madalena DiMirco and Gabby Goldstein each netted three goals and Clare Warren added two. Kate Astrab was excellent in goal with seven saves.

SOMERS had an impact win, beating Horace Greeley, 8-5, as Molly Fink scored three goals.

Lyla Mancini and Sydney Ingraham scored two goals apiece and goalie Maddie Whipple was the difference with 12 saves.

The Tuskers ran into a buzzsaw as undefeated Nyack continued controlling opponents in an 18-5 win.

“Nyack outplayed and hustled us,” Somers’ coach Deb Daly said. “They controlled the draw and their entire team contributed. The three Gould sisters are very skilled and complement one another. The team is well-coached and disciplined. We had moments, but just didn’t find our rhythm tonight!”

Fink finished with two scores and three draw-controls and Ingraham also had two goals along with an assist and two draw-controls.

Somers also dropped an 8-7 verdict to Fox Lane.

 

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/GIL McMAHON PHOTOS