by Steve Bradley
It’s tough to beat the same team three times in the same season. Any sport, any two teams, it is a difficult thing to do. But the Lady Panthers did just that last Sunday when they knocked arch rival Greenwich out of contention for any more play this year. The Witches put an end to the Panthers’ hopes the last two seasons in the championship game so to get this win was especially satisfying to Panther players and coaches.
The Panthers came out as their usual aggressive selves. They took the ball into the Witches’ goal area and kept it there. Getting the ball past the experienced Greenwich goalie proved difficult. If you blast enough shots at the goal, eventually one will get by, and Caytlyn Springer buried a shot on an assist from Brooke Davendonis twenty minutes into the game. It was nice to have the lead, but the general feeling was that one goal was not going to win the game.
In the end, the one goal was enough. The Panthers added another goal ten minutes into the second half when Allyson Burdick scored with an assist from Carsen Williams. With goalie Ashley St. Onge and her defensive teammates turning away everything the Witches threw at them, the Witches only got one shot on goal. At the other end of the field, the Panthers’ offense controlled the ball and got 13 shots on goal, scoring on two. The offense kept the Greenwich goaltender hopping with 11 saves. Greenwich ended the season with 16 wins and three loses, all the loses coming off the sticks of the Panthers.
On Saturday, November 9, the Panthers will travel to Syracuse to face the Cazenovia Lakers of Section 3 in a regional contest. The game will be at Cicero – North Syracuse High School beginning at 2 pm. Travel time is about three hours.
