The Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team capped its Section III season in the most fitting way possible.
The Northstars danced with perfection.
There was little left to add after C-NS rolled past Liverpool 15-5 to earn the Section III Class A title. Mackenzie Prentice posted a hat trick to help spark No. 1 C-NS (16-2), which advances to take on the Section IV champ in the first round of state play on Saturday.
"Gosh. There's not much to say. It shows for itself," C-NS coach Stephanie Prentice said of her team's effort. "They're a special group. I think we've prepared ourselves for what's to come. I like our chances."
Sophia Nesci, Natalie Wilson, Gabrielle Putman, Miabella Gates and Elizabeth Smith each scored twice for the relentless Northstars, and Putman kept the ball in her teammates' sticks by winning 18 draw control. C-NS finished undefeated in Section III play, losing only to St. John's Prep of Maryland and Penfield of Section V.
Mia Berthoff scored three times for Liverpool, which finished 7-10.
Cicero-North Syracuse got on a roll to rip off five goals and blank Liverpool in the first 12 minutes and take a 5-0 lead after the first quarter. The Northstars built up a 10-3 lead at halftime and posted a 10-goal edge late in the contest to start a running clock.
"I think our team chemistry (is the explanation)," Mackenzie Prentice said. "Everyone really gets along. Everyone really loves playing with each other. I feel like that's so important."
The Northstars now enter state play with perhaps even more to prove, by their own admission. While C-NS defeated several tough teams during the regular season, Class A play in Section III isn't nearly as deep with great teams as other sections across the state.
For instance, the Northstars defeated Liverpool, it's top sectional challenger, three times by a combined score of 51-20.
"I think we definitely have something to prove," Putman said. "We're going into some tough competition and not going to take anything for granted and keep plugging away."
Smith did damage first for C-NS with 6:11 left in the opening quarter, and less than a minute later Nesci struck for her first to make it 2-0.
Gabriella Pauline, Wilson and Prentice kept the rally going by scoring before the quarter was over.
"The difference was definitely teamwork. We put it all together in the end and we're always pushing as family, going as a family," Putman said. "We're going to keep going as that."
Berthoff broke the run with her team's first goal 3:07 into the second quarter, but Marissa Doty, Prentice, Nesci and Prentice again took turns lighting up the scoreboard to make it 9-1 late in the second.
"(It's) so much fun," Putman said of playing in that offense. "You always know that you have someone to back you up. When you're having a bad game, someone else is there to pick up your slack. And every single girl on our field can shoot and score and play defense and all the things. It's pretty special to have."
The sectional title was the second for Stephanie Prentice since she took over at her alma mater four seasons ago. She, like the rest of her team, knows that there's a lot more to achieve beyond that know but also appreciates how much tougher bumpier the road is about to become.
"That's how we approach every game. We talk about setting the standard for the game and then the next game setting the next standard," she said. "Maybe we have something to prove for ourselves."
