Minisink Valley girls lacrosse will always be able to embrace a little history with its playoff run but it came to a halting end against the top-ranked team in New York state.
Nassau County champ Garden City stormed to an early lead and never wavered, the Trojans rolling to a 21-6 victory over the Section 9 champion Warriors at SUNY Cortland on June 13.
Garden City (20-2) advances to Saturday’s championship matchup with Victor of Section 5. Minisink wraps up at 16-3.
The Trojans needed just 18 seconds to break on top, Averie Smith circling the cage for a shot in front. About a minute later, Kathryn Monaco used a spin move out front and bounced in a shot. Five minutes later, it was Deanna Prisco scoring twice within 16 seconds for a 4-0 lead.
Logan Barry scored the first of her three goals at the 7:39 mark to pull Minisink within three, but the Warriors struggled all afternoon on draw controls (three wins in first three quarters), allowing the Trojans to control the action.
Arcangela Haffner (twice) and Prisco scored in a span of 47 seconds, and Stella Goettlemann tacked on a score eight seconds before the close of the first quarter for an 8-1 lead.
In the second quarter, Garden City tallied three times in the opening three minutes, a run halted by Riley Boice. Alison Bennett, Kim Colucci, Grace Brantuk and Emerson Goettleman (with one second left) moved the Trojans to a 15-2 halftime edge.
With a running clock in the third quarter, Stella Goettlemann, Michaela Molgano, Ava Borzilleri, Emerson Goettlemann and Ciara Hegarty scored, with Barry tallying her second. Playing the fourth against primarily backups, Minisink got goals from Barry and C.J. Kuiken (two). Amanda Becker wrapped up the Trojan scoring with 5:28 to play.
Minisink has won three Section 9 Class B titles in a row. No Section 9 champ had won a state playoff game since James I. O’Neill in 2006, and none had ever reached the state semifinals.
Garden City has won 15 New York state titles. The Trojans have eight seniors committed to NCAA Division I schools and nine juniors who have committed early. The Trojans entered the contest having scored 291 goals, while allowing 127 (Minisink had 301 goals for and 167 against).
kmcmillan@th-record.com
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This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Girls lacrosse: Minisink Valley overpowered in state semifinal loss to Garden City
Reporting by Ken McMillan, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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