For the first time, the Niskayuna girls lacrosse team’s exploits superceded those of the Niskayuna boys lacrosse team.
After winning their second consecutive Section II, Class B title, the Niskayuna girls edged Section I power Yorktown 13-12 and advanced through regionals to the state semifinals, where they lost to perennial state powerhouse Garden City 17-4 and finished with a 15-6 record.
Along the way, the senior-laden Silver Warriors showed they weren’t just one of the best Class B teams in the state, but they were also one of the best overall teams in Section II. They finished third in the Suburban Council standings with a 10-5 record behind Class A champion Guilderland and Class A runner-up Shaker. And Niskayuna was limited to five or fewer goals only three times in 21 games.
Seniors provided much of Niskayuna’s scoring punch. Leanna Pace led the way with 59 goals and 14 assists, while Allison Pfohl contributed 43 goals and 15 assists. Carly Richards (32 goals, 22 assists), Jennifer Primeau (38 goals, 11 assists) and Marie Mutryn (30 goals, 14 assists) also played key roles in the Silver Warriors offense.
Pace, Pfohl, Richards, Primeau, Mutryn and the rest of Niskayuna’s 10 seniors will be remembered for bringing the Silver Warriors to the top of the Section II heap.
This group of seniors have set the bar for every girl that plays lacrosse (at Niskayuna) from now on,` said Niskayuna coach Pete Melito. `This season was a tremendous experience. I’m proud and pleased with everyone on this team.`
The Niskayuna boys lacrosse team also had a successful season. The Silver Warriors won their fourth consecutive Sectional title by beating upstart Shaker 8-4 in the Class A finals, but their run at a state semifinal appearance ended with a 9-6 regional loss to Yorktown.
Niskayuna (21-1) was perfect against Section II competition this season, but it wasn’t easy. The Silver Warriors had several close victories over the likes of Guilderland, Shenendehowa, Ballston Spa, Colonie and Shaker. Still, those wins ` plus non-league victories over John Jay-Cross River and Massachusetts power Duxbury ` helped the Silver Warriors earn a top-20 national ranking.
Those close regular season games also helped Niskayuna when it faced 10th-seeded Shaker in the Sectional finals. When the Blue Bison (6-15) scored twice in the third quarter to tie the game at 3, the Silver Warriors responded with a 5-0 run that sealed the victory.
`We’ve been playing in close games all year,` said Niskayuna coach Mike Vorgang. `The kids panic less than the coaches do.`
In other spring sports news:
The Mohonasen baseball team reached the Sectional finals for the first time in 26 years, but Ichabod Crane’s Josh Ingham single-handedly prevented the Mighty Warriors from winning the Class A title. Ingham pitched a four-hitter and drove in five runs with a home run and a double to lead the Riders to a 9-2 victory over Mohonasen.
The loss couldn’t diminish all of the Mighty Warriors’ accomplishments, though. Mohonasen won the Suburban Council White Division title with a 10-4 record that included victories over Niskayuna, Guilderland and Bethlehem.
`We went through a lot of difficult competition (to get to the finals),` said Mohonasen coach Jim Huggins. `The kids worked hard, and I can’t take anything away from them.`
Other baseball highlights included Niskayuna reaching the Class AA semifinals after upending Suburban Council champion Shenendehowa in the quarterfinals, and Schalmont finishing second in the Colonial Council standings and handing first-place Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk its only two league losses of the season.
The Niskayuna softball team finished with the second-best record in the Suburban Council on its way to claiming the White Division title. The Silver Warriors ripped off 12 consecutive wins at one point in the season before losing to Colonie in the Class AA Sectional quarterfinals.
The Niskayuna and Scotia-Glenville boys tennis teams won Sectional titles. Niskayuna went 15-1 on its way to winning the Class AA title, while Scotia-Glenville knocked off Mohonasen and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake to get to the Class A finals, where it defeated Albany Academy 5-2 for its seventh Sectional championship in the last nine years.
Niskayuna’s Brian Chow qualified for the state singles tournament for the third year in a row after placing third at Sectionals.
Phil Blackwell contributed to this story.“