Top goalies, perfect season? 5 questions for last weeks of Section V girls lacrosse season

Less than two weeks remain in Section V girls lacrosse season. May 16 marks the final day of the regular season, and also the day Section V will determine tournament seedings for its four classifications.

With a handful of games remaining for most Section V teams, here are five questions to be answered:

No. 1: Who will reign as Section V's top goaltender?

Four Section V goalies are, statistically, a cut above the rest through this weekend's games. The race for the top save percentage is a heated one.

Here are the current leaders through May 4:

• Maddie Askin, Geneva — 54.7%

• Ava Torrence, Greece Storm — 54.4%

• Maggie Allen, Victor — 54.3%

• Elinor Meyer, Mercy — 54.1%

With great goaltending often comes team success. It should come as no surprise that the aforementioned goalies' teams have a combined 26 wins and 18 losses this season.

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Victor is one of Section V's best at suppressing opposing offenses, but on the rare scoring chance, Allen has been up to the task. The Blue Devils' senior has allowed double-digit goals against only once in 12 games. The Mercyhurst commit's next big test comes on May 8, when Victor travels to defending Class A state champion Fairport.

Torrence, a freshman, has taken a major leap after playing over 700 minutes last season as an eighth-grader. She's posted a save percentage of 50% or better in eight of 10 games this season.

Meyer, another freshman, is a first-year starter but has backstopped Mercy to the projected top seed in Class C.

No. 2: How long can Canandaigua girls lacrosse remain undefeated?

The Gray Wolves enter the final two weeks of the regular season as Section V's last perfect team. The last two weeks offered multiple potential stumbling blocks, but Canandaigua passed each test.

• April 22: 7-6 win over defending Class B state champion Victor.

• April 27: 7-3 win over defending Class D section champion Penn Yan.

• May 1: 9-6 win over Class B contender Spencerport.

• May 3: 9-7 win over defending Class A state champion Fairport.

The gauntlet doesn't end there. This week, Canandaigua hosts Class A power Rush-Henrietta on Thursday, followed by South Jefferson — an annual contender from Section III — on Saturday.

The Gray Wolves' recent string of wins were decided by a combined 10 goals, proving Canandaigua is more than comfortable playing in close games. That'll likely be to the team's benefit come sectionals.

No. 3: Who'll break through in Section V's Class A division?

Arguably the tightest competition in Section V, four of the five teams in Class A possess winning records. With a handful of games remaining for each team, here's how the sectional seedings currently project:

• No. 1: Rush-Henrietta (9-3)

• No. 2: Penfield (8-4)

• No. 3: Fairport (9-4)

• No. 4: Pittsford (5-6)

• No. 5: Greece Storm (7-3)

If Rush-Henrietta hangs on for the top seed, it'll be in large part due to a perfect record (3-0) against teams within the classification in Section V. Of note, the Royal Comets' wins against Fairport, Penfield and Pittsford were all one-goal differences.

Rush-Henrietta boasts one of Section V's leaders in draw controls (Kate DeWald) and most respected goaltenders (Angelia Oechsle), which could be a formidable recipe come playoffs.

Greece, despite its projected seed, could also be a tough out. Storm duo Mara Misiurewicz (first in Section V with 60 goals) and Erica Savage (first in Section V with 39 assists) have been the section's most productive combination.

No. 4: Who is the team to beat in Section V girls lacrosse Class C?

Of Section V's seven Class C teams, only two — Mercy (7-5) and Eastridge/Bishop Kearney (5-4) — have records above .500.

The Monarchs have six players (Sydney Cook, Krista Harnischfeger, Mia Lusardi, Lydia Malvaso, Mia Quagrello, Maeve Shanahan) with double-digit goals. All five of Mercy's losses have come against Class A or B competition.

Eastridge/Bishop Kearney started the season with three wins in four games and boasts Ada Krupa, who ranks among the Section V leaders in almost every statistical category.

Honeoye Falls-Lima is the 11-time defending Class C section champion and will likely factor in when all is said and done. The Cougars' 5-7 record is somewhat deceptive, considering the team's schedule is almost entirely compromised of large school competition within Monroe County.

One of HFL's losses, though, did come within Class C when the team fell to Mercy, 10-8, on April 16. The Cougars' Shaye Angelo had a game-high nine draw controls in that matchup, but HFL couldn't overcome a five-point game from Quagrello (three goals, 2 assists) nor the 13 saves from Elinor Meyer.

No. 5: Will Section V girls lacrosse continue success at state level?

Last spring marked the first time since 2004 that Section V exited the season with multiple NYSPHSAA champions, as Fairport was the last team standing in Class A while Victor had the same distinction in Class B. The Blue Devils' title was their second straight.

Section V's recent string of success signals a turnaround from a decade-long dry spell, as the region won only one state title (Pittsford in 2017) during the 2010s.

Section V has never had champions in three straight years since the NYSPHSAA began holding girls lacrosse tournaments in 1995, despite increased opportunity (NYSPHSAA has offered four classifications since 2017).

Ten Section V teams were featured in the latest New York Sportswriters' rankings, and while it's far from a be-all, end-all, the Rochester area hasn't owned a No. 1 ranking yet this season. Victor peaked at No. 2 in Class B in the April 23 rankings, while Penn Yan reached the second spot in the April 16 list.

Come June, we'll see where Section V stacks up on the field.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Section V girls lacrosse: 5 questions for remainder of 2024 season