Meagan Schulz, Sun Sports Editor
WILLIAMSVILLE – This weekend the Lakeland Hornets (Section I) hopes to defeat Afton in the state semifinals to reach its 17th state championship game. The Hornets haven’t lost a game to a New York-based opponent since 2008. Looking to be their first will be the Crimson Knights of Section IV.
Being played at Williamsville-North High School, just on the outskirts of Buffalo, both teams are making the trek across state for a chilly Saturday afternoon game. Game time is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and the forecast for the area is looking to be in the mid-30s with a chance of snow showers.
Maybe the snow will miss the area but what won’t be missing is a quality game. Afton is currently 12-4 and the girls are hungry for that state championship title.
Lakeland is undefeated in their 21 games played this season and have not lost a game against a New York state opponent since 2008 – the season that started their run of nine straight state championships won. The Hornets are in search of their 10th in a row.
The Crimson Knights haven’t been in a game of the distinction in quite some time and they will have their hands full against the Hornets.
In order for Afton to have any chance against the powerhouse team from Section I – just outside of New York City – they will need stop the dominant Hornets.
A high powered offense this season, Lakeland has recorded 139 goals while allowing just seven to be scored against them. They have defeated their opponents by an average of 5.86 goals while scoring an average of 6.62 goals per game as a team. It’s a good possibility that Lakeland won’t be held scoreless but that will come down to the play of Afton’s midfielders, defense and goalkeeper.
Season-long preparation
The bonus for the team hailing from Chenango County is that they play against teams like Whitney Point, Vestal, Greene and Maine-Endwell in the regular season that help them prepare for teams like the Hornets.
Vestal faced the Lakeland team in last year’s Class B championship game. The Hornets earned their ninth straight state title with a 5-0 win over the Section IV team.
Greene is brought up into the conversation not only because they are tough opponent that beat Afton the one time they played this year but because earlier this season, the Trojans faced Lakeland’s last opponent – Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Greene won 3-1. The Trojans topped Afton 2-1 in the last game of the regular season for the two teams.
The Crimson Knights squared off against Maine-Endwell twice this season, splitting the series 1-1. M-E won by a goal their second time playing while Afton took home the 1-0 victory in the first meeting. Maine-Endwell is also making an appearance in the state tournament this weekend at the Class A level – their second straight season at the final four.
Lastly, Afton saw Whitney Point during the regular season twice. The Crimson Knights lost both but the games were close throughout as Whitney Point won 2-0 and 3-1. Playing in the Class C semifinal game following the Crimson Knights are the Eagles from Whitney Point, who will be going for their fifth straight state title.
Field of dreams
This is the first time that Williamsville-North will be hosting the New York State Championships. After four years at Maine-Endwell and Vestal, the tournament moves to the Section IV school for the first of three years.
According to Judy Otto, the Section VI Field Hockey Coordinator, the experience and the environment will be unlike any other. “The venue is state of the art and unlike any other high school facility across the state,” said Judy Otto, Section VI Field Hockey Coordinator. “By having two fields side-by-side, all spectators will be able to observe two competitions at once as well as watching replays on the jumbotron.”
Key Players:
Both teams have a strong team throughout their entire roster. There will be, however, notable names in the game from both the Hornets and the Crimson Knights.
Lakeland
Julianna Cappello, Forward
While there are four players who have scored 10-plus goals this season on the Lakeland roster, Cappello is the leading scorer on the Hornets with 40 goals. She isn’t only a threat on scoring though. She also leads Lakeland with 23 assists.
Cappello has been held scoreless once this season – the Hornets’ 7-0 win over Bronxville. She did, however, find her teammates on two of the seven goals scored in the contest.
