Write a commentThe Fulton girls varsity lacrosse team found itself trailing by two goals with just over 10 minutes remaining in Tuesday night's Section III, Class C Championship game against Indian River on the campus of SUNY Cortland.
Instead of hanging their heads, the Dragons rallied. Three straight goals capped off by more late game heroics from Anna Bednarz propelled Fulton to a 10-9 win and its second sectional championship in three years.
Anna Bednarz helped the Dragons strike first. Her goal with 9:27 left in the first quarter gave Fulton a 1-0 lead. After Indian River tied the score at one, Bednarz answered back. She scored with 7:22 remaining to put the Dragons ahead, 2-1. Fulton added to its lead nearly two minutes later. Carleigh Patterson scored her first goal of the game with 5:47 remaining to push the Dragons lead to 3-1. Indian River scored before the first quarter ended to make the score 3-2.
Mya Carroll helped Fulton restore a two goal lead early in the second quarter. Her goal with 11:07 left gave the Dragons a 4-2 lead. Alison Mainville got into the scoring action after Indian River made the score 4-3. She scored with 7:05 remaining to extend Fulton's lead to 5-3. Indian River cut the Dragons lead to 5-4 before Patterson responded with her second goal of the game. Her goal with just under a minute left allowed Fulton to take a 6-4 lead into halftime.
Indian River came out swinging to begin the third quarter. The Warriors scored back-to-back goals to tie the game at six. The Dragons soon reclaimed the lead. Bednarz's third goal of the game came with 2:16 remaining to give Fulton a 7-6 lead. However, Indian River was just getting started. The Warriors scored two goals in 37 seconds to take their first lead of the game at 8-7.
Indian River pushed its lead to 9-7 early in the fourth quarter. Momentum appeared squarely on the side of the Warriors yet the Dragons weren't fazed. Mainville's second goal of the game sparked Fulton's late game surge. Her goal with 5:36 remaining cut Indian River's lead to 9-8. Carroll scored her second goal of the game nearly 90 seconds later. She scored with 4:05 left to tie the score at nine. The Dragons regained possession following a key defensive stop with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game. Fulton got a pivotal goal from Bednarz late in Thursday's sectional semifinal contest against Jamesville-DeWitt to secure the win. The Dragons wanted her to have an opportunity to put the finishing touches on a sectional championship effort and Bednarz didn't disappoint. She scored with 55 seconds left to give Fulton a 10-9 lead. Fulton won the ensuing draw control and ran the clock out to secure the win.
Following the game, Fulton girls varsity lacrosse coach Brandon Weaver spoke about his teams' resilience after falling behind two goals to the Warriors early in the fourth quarter. Weaver points out that the Dragons took on a highly challenging schedule this season which prepared them to come through when times get tough. "It was a great team effort tonight," Weaver said. "I couldn't be any more proud of the girls. It was a tough battle from the get go. A real back-and-forth game against a really good Indian River team. We got down by two goals halfway through the fourth quarter but the girls never gave up. We prepared all season for this moment. We played a really hard schedule all year to prepare, making sure we're playing tough teams all the way through the season. I think it helped us prepare for this moment and the girls were able to execute when we needed to. (We're) looking forward to still playing a few more games hopefully and finishing out another great season here in Fulton."
Fulton was led by Anna Bednarz. Bednarz tallied four goals and an assist against Indian River. Following Bednarz was Carleigh Patterson with two goals and three assists. Mya Carroll added two goals and an assist. Alison Mainville scored two goals.
Fulton's 13th win of the season clinches its second sectional championship in three years. The Dragons set out to earn another appearance in the Class C state playoffs and they have succeeded. Fulton found a way to regroup after the tragic loss of teammate Rylee Bartlett last season to sit at the top of Section III, Class C in 2024. Although Weaver and his team are thrilled to be in a position to conclude the season in state competition, they know there's more work to do. "It means everything to the team and to the coaching staff," Weaver said. "Being able to bring back another sectional title to Fulton is a great honor and we don't take it lightly. You know after the tragedy of last season and to watch these girls come back to put together an awesome season. (We're) looking forward to playing in the next round."
