水果派AV

Like their matchup against West Genesee in 2023, the Maroons outplayed their opponent on both sides of the field in the first half of Monday's final.

However, also like in 2023, they were unable to carry that momentum into the second half.聽

On Monday, the No. 2-seeded Auburn was outscored by eight goals in the second half as the team was taken down by No. 1 Watertown, 13-7, in the Section III, Class B championship at SUNY Cortland.聽

Though the Maroons did not come out on top, first-year head coach John Alberici took solace in the development his team聽鈥� featuring just two seniors聽鈥� displayed throughout the season.

鈥淭he girls worked exceptionally hard,鈥� he told 水果派AV. 鈥淭hey gave great effort every single day. And from the beginning of the season until this point right now, showed great growth as a team. It was a very selfless group of girls. Just a great group of kids. We're gonna miss the two seniors that'll be moving on, but there's a nice nucleus coming back that we'll build upon.鈥�

Auburn鈥檚 youth was on full display in the first 30 seconds of the final, as freshman Kate Musso and sophomore Parker Maneri each found the back of the net to give the team a 2-0 lead.

Following a Cyclones goal with just under 10 minutes left in the opening quarter, sophomore Ella Blanchfield added a pair of goals to the box score to force a timeout from Watertown. After regrouping, the Cyclones netted two scores in a 24-second span to trim their deficit to just one at the end of the first.聽

Watertown knotted things up at four at the beginning of the second quarter. However, that鈥檚 all the Maroons would surrender in the frame.聽

鈥淚t was great team defense, everybody was collapsing in,鈥� Alberici said. 鈥淭hey were phenomenal. We talk about, as a defender, we're responsible for everybody. It's not just the girl you're marked up on, you're responsible for everybody. And that helped. They did a great job in that quarter and worked real hard.鈥�

The Maroons鈥� offense rewarded the defensive effort by dropping in a pair of goals in the final minutes of the first half to create a 6-4 advantage at halftime.聽

While Auburn鈥檚 passing had been mostly crisp in the opening half, turnovers from risky passes in the second half allowed the Cyclones to go on a major run. Watertown went on to score four unanswered goals in the third quarter to take an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth.

鈥淲e ran our offense pretty well early, and then made a few passes that we typically don't make,鈥� Alberici said. 鈥淭here were some transition goals, and that's always hard. (Watertown) did a nice job and kind of sped us up a little bit. We didn't value some of those possessions late, but that comes with experience, too. We'll work on those things in the offseason, and we'll be better for it.鈥�

After the Cyclones opened the scoring in the fourth, Auburn freshman Anna LeFevre looked to build some momentum seconds later with a score of her own.

But Watertown went on to score the final four goals of the matchup to secure the sectional championship.聽

Blanchfield paced the Maroons with two scores, while Adalyn Bouley, Margaret Cuff, Maneri, Russo and LeFevre had one apiece. Bouley, Musso and Maneri also each dished out an assist.

While the mood after the game was somber for the Maroons, Alberici reminded his players why they felt the way they did.聽

鈥淚 told them, 鈥榊ou know the reason that you're upset about this is because of the investment that you've made. And it's hard when you make that kind of investment. To be on the losing end of it, it hurts. It stinks quite a bit,'" he said. "So they're pretty upset. They'll build on some of the mistakes that we made tonight, and we'll get better at the things that we did well.鈥�