There will be a new Section II, Class A girls lacrosse champion Thursday at the University at Albany.
Bethlehem’s eight-year Sectional championship reign ended last Wednesday when Shaker won a 16-15 double overtime game in the semifinals. The third-seeded Blue Bison will meet top-seeded Guilderland, which downed Saratoga 14-4 in the other semifinal game.
What I love about this year’s final is you have two brand new teams which is nice, and you know it’s going to be a close game, said Shaker coach Carrie Britt. `It’s going to be a great show, and that’s what you want in a game like this.`
`There’s so many teams of equal ability this year, and they’re obviously a very good team,` said Guilderland coach Gary Chatnik.
Guilderland (16-2) has an advantage in terms of championship game experience. The Lady Dutch reached the 2005 class A final before losing to Bethlehem, while Shaker has never made it to the finals.
`I don’t think we have to do anything special,` said Chatnik. `We just have to play our game and limit their top (offensive) players.`
If any team can shut down Shaker’s attack, it’s Guilderland. The Lady Dutch have been one of the top defensive teams in Section II, allowing an average of less than six goals per game.
`You win the game on defense, and defensively I couldn’t be more pleased right now,` said Chatnik. `I don’t think we’ve played better than we did in our last two games (against Bethlehem and Saratoga).`
Shaker (14-5) is one of the few teams to have success scoring goals against Guilderland this season. After losing 15-8 the first time, the Blue Bison forced five overtimes before the Lady Dutch prevailed 12-11 April 24. It was the last time Guilderland allowed more than 10 goals in a game.
`Guilderland is very strong defensively, and we’re very strong offensively. So the matchup is a lot different than playing Bethlehem, where we were just matching up (offensive) personnel,` said Britt.
Both teams have balanced attacks. Shaker is led by a group of five players that includes Kat Thomas and two pairs of sisters ` Abigail and Caroline Rehfuss, and Lexi and Devan Dalcol. Guilderland’s attack is paced by veterans Abbey Fashouer, Nikki Branchini, Amanda Best and Danielle Tetreault. Courtney Davis, Chelsey Newman and Bridget Daley have also been consistent contributors.
`We have eight people who have scored on a regular basis, and that’s the difference this year,` said Chatnik.
Fatigue won’t be a factor for either team unless the game goes into overtime again. With eight days between the semifinal and championship rounds, the teams have plenty of time to recover. That is especially important for Shaker, which was worn out from its double overtime victory over Bethlehem.
`We really rested our midfield (in regulation) so we’d be fresh at the end, but we still lost Abigail Rehfuss and Kat Thomas for the entire second overtime period,` said Britt.
The winner of Thursday’s final will be only the third different team since Section II started holding girls lacrosse playoffs in 1994, but Chatnik and Britt said more schools could enter the championship mix in the coming years.
`You’re seeing parity, and it’s exciting,` said Britt. `So many high school coaches are involved in the Albany Elite (summer) program and getting their kids involved in the program, and this year is a direct result of that cooperative effort.“
