Victor girls lacrosse dominant in second half to win state title

Halftime adjustments are part of any game but the Victor girls insist they didn’t change much.

Except for the score.

The Blue Devils reversed course to dominate possessions in the second half and the result is a second straight Class B state lacrosse title. The 8-6 final score over Garden City was a marked difference from the 3-3 halftime score and it had everything to do with winning draws and protecting the ball.

“In the second half, our offense was our best defense,” senior defender Maryn Savage said. “They kept the ball in their sticks.”

Indeed, the Trojans found themselves in trouble after dominating on draws in the first half. But after Victor junior Devin Livingston made some adjustments and the Victor coaches changed personnel on the circle, the second half was a different story.

The second-half surge

Kyle Finnell’s goal to open the second half gave Garden City a 4-3 lead but few if any saw what was coming next.

Livingston’s third goal of the game tied the score 4-4 with 18:08 left but that’s when the the Blue Devils started winning draws and extending their possessions. And it didn’t hurt that the next four possessions ended with goals.

Morgan Livingston, Allie Pisano, Devin Livingston and Julia Bruno scored goals in a span of seven minutes. That put Victor up 8-4 and put all the pressure on the Trojan to chase the scoreboard.

“We just made too many mistakes,” coach Dave Ettinger said. “We didn’t shoot very well in the first half and in the second half, we didn’t have the ball for what felt like forever.”

Garden City pulled to within 8-6 with 3:41 left, which made for a tense stretch run as Victor played keep-away and the Trojans pursued.

“Grit, tenacity. Something you’re born with,” Victor co-coach Todd Thompson said of the team’s heart in the final moments. “It’s hard to talk about it. I get emotional.”

To be sure, there were plenty of emotions. Especially in the final 3:41 when all the Victor girls had to do was pass and catch.

It’s a fundamental part of the game that took center stage over goals and saves.

“With no shot clock we had to be focused and disciplined,” co-coach Jamie Smith said. “Because it really came down to possession.”

They said it

Victor goalie Maggie Allen: “I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s so surreal.”

Garden City coach Dave Ettinger: “It’s hard to get the ball back in a sport with no shot clock.”

Victor’s Maryn Savage, on the second-half rally: “It’s crazy. It shows how much grit we have.”

Victor co-coach Todd Thompson: “It’s everything these kids do away from practice. Wall ball, extra reps, passing and catching. Doing all the little things great.”

Livingston scored four goals for Victor and Allie Pisano scored two.

Class B semifinal

It’s not unusual to point to a moment in a game that shifts the momentum.

So when Allie Pisano picked off a pass and turned and drove for a goal, that certainly qualified for the Victor girls. And it all happened just 1:45 into the game.

That sequence set the stage for the Blue Devils, who rolled to an 18-5 win over Bethlehem in Friday’s Class B state semifinal game at SUNY Cortland.

“Yeah, getting that first goal is super important,” said Victor junior Devin Livingston, who scored seven goals. “It lets us know how the game is going to flow for us.”

As for flowing, that’s pretty much what the Blue Devils did, getting little resistance from the Eagles as the defending champs advanced to Saturday’s championship game.

Scores, schedule: Boys and girls lacrosse New York state championship weekend

How it happened

Bethlehem answered with a patient possession that produced the tying goal with 19:42 left in the first half.

But Victor reponded with Livingston’s first of the game just 18 seconds later. And 5 minutes later, it was a 5-1 lead. And that pretty much laid waste to Bethlehem’s strategy of holding the ball to keep it out of Victor’s sticks.

“This year, it’s grit,” said Livingston. “Yes, we lost a lot of seniors last year but we’re just as good this year and we want to prove that to not only Victor, but to the entire New York State too.”

The 10-1 halftime lead certainly showed as much. And when Bethlehem scored three of the first four goals of the second half to make it an 11-4 game, the Blue Devils answered with another reminder.

Livingston scored four goals in 6 minutes and her sixth of the game, with 15:07 left, produced a running clock for the duration.

“We talked about the caliber of teams here and how we had to be 100% across the board,” co-coach Jamie Smith said. “We don’t have the seconds to be off our game.”

What it means

Victor (16-4) plays for its second straight state championship at 11:30 a.m. Saturday against Garden City at SUNY Cortland.

Bethlehem of Section II ends its season at 16-4.

They said it

Victor co-coach Todd Thompson: “We were playing our game and doing the little things right.”

Victor’s Devin Livingston: “Once we get that lead, there’s really no stopping us.”

Victor co-coach Jamie Smith, on Saturday’s final: “This is the big stage and we just have to continue with making every possession count. It’s our last game.”

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Victor rolls past Garden City in NYSPHSAA girls lacrosse to win title