Sometimes losing can be an effective teacher. That was the case for Penfield’s girls lacrosse team, after the Patriots opened their season with two defeats on Long Island against some of the state’s best.
Turns out, even defending state champions can learn a thing or two. As the season progressed, that trip clearly paid dividends, to and through the section final.
In a meeting between Section V’s most recent Class A champions, Penfield proved too much for Fairport in a 9-6 win Monday in the section final.
Penfield, now back-to-back section title winners, has won eight in program history.
The current group stands alone in this respect: It carried the weight of a target on its back, knowing each opponent circled Penfield on the calendar. Asked how the group handled that, first-year head coach Maddy Fichera referenced the team’s early games.
“This is a special group. A lot of returners from last year which is huge, and they really led the way and stepped up as leaders in a big way,” Fichera said. “We took two losses (on Long Island), but we went there to get better. It made us stronger because it exposed our weaknesses.”
There was also some additional motivation for a few of Penfield’s key players, who entered the spring on the heels of a disappointing end to the winter season.
Olivia Lanning (two goals), Jordan Rasmussen (one goal, four assists) and Reegan Sercu (assist) were all members of the Patriots’ top-seeded girls basketball team that endured several ill-timed injuries en route to a section final loss.
For them, this lacrosse championship offered some redemption.
“I said it to some of my basketball teammates, we are not losing this. We went through it in March and I wasn’t doing it again,” Lanning said. “This is the best feeling and I can’t wait to keep going with this team.”
Penfield defense has a big Hand in win
Goalie Karis Hand might not have the most eye-popping statistics in Section V. That’s the cost of backstopping a team loaded in talent: Shots against might be few and far between.
In that respect, the final against Fairport wasn’t all that different than most games for the University of Florida commit. But when called upon, Hand was up to the task. Key saves in the first half, two point-blank in particular against dangerous Fairport scorers Camryn DuBose and Brenna Goss, allowed Penfield to build a sizable lead.
Hand finished the game with five saves and was named the section tournament’s most valuable player.
“She’s able to read the field so well,” Fichera said of Hand. “Whether the opposing team is close to the goal or farther out, she knows and talks to the defense and is so positive. That’s a huge thing.”
Fairport has its fair share of Division I talent, so keeping such an offense at bay is no small task. Penfield did just that, not allowing a goal until the eight-minute mark of the third quarter on Brinn Castrechini’s tally.
That marks the second straight game Penfield shut out its opponent in the first half, after also doing so in the semifinals against Greece.
“Our defense is amazing, our goalie is amazing,” Fichera said. “I could tell in the locker room that they were locked in and ready to go. We said we wanted to play all 48 minutes, and they played all 48 minutes.”
All-tournament team: Penfield’s Karis Hand (MVP), Lexi Corcoran, Riley Corcoran and Avery Fordham; Fairport’s Mya Christian, Brenna Goss and Melody Williams; Greece’s Ava Torrence; Rush-Henrietta’s Kate DeWald.
Up next: Penfield plays Section VI’s Lancaster in the NYSPHSAA Class A sub-regionals 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4 at Churchville-Chili.
Follow below for updates from the game:
Penfield vs Fairport: Game start
Penfield’s Peyton Rothfuss and Fairport’s Brinn Castrechini step in for the opening draw, and the Class A final is underway.
Penfield 4, Fairport 0: End of the 1st quarter
Peyton Rothfuss already has a few goals for the Patriots, while Olivia Lanning has also chipped in. Fairport had a couple opportunities from the 8-meter, but missed its shots wide.
Penfield 4, Fairport 0: Halftime
The second quarter was a goaltending clinic. Penfield goalie Karis Hand stopped Brenna Goss on a couple point-blank chances. Then Fairport’s Marisa Test denied Avery Fordham on a contested shot at the buzzer.
Penfield 6, Fairport 2: End of the 3rd quarter
The teams traded goals in that frame. Jordan Rasmussen and Whitney Reynolds scored for Penfield. Fairport’s Brinn Castrechini nabbed her team’s first goal at the 8:10 mark, while Mya Christian added a goal with three seconds left in the quarter.
Penfield 9, Fairport 6: Final
Charge by Fairport with two late goals, but Penfield appropriately forces a turnover in the final seconds to end the game. This is the Patriots’ eighth section title and second straight.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Penfield locks down Fairport for second straight girls lacrosse title
Reporting by Justin Ritzel, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
