Somers lacrosse outpaced by Pleasantville

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Wednesday, April 1, Somers hosted Pleasantville, and a 1-1 game halfway through the first period looked like no joke. On April Fools’ Day, however, the punchline landed heavily on the Tuskers.

The Panthers scored 16 of the next 17 goals and went home with a decisive 17-8 victory.

After Pleasantville won the opening draw, Somers showed early strength on defense. On a centering pass to Ella McCourtney, Meadow Dondl stepped in to deny the opportunity, and Emma Donaldson made the first save on a tricky bounce.

Moments later, Caitlyn Mayfield blocked McCourtney’s shot, and on the same sequence, Donaldson got a piece of Faith Brown’s attempt. However, Somers was whistled for a penalty, and Brown capitalized to give Pleasantville a 1-0 lead.

At 7:31, off the faceoff, Sofia Connor beat a double team and fed Elena Kellock. The Tusker drew a penalty, but Gia Hirt came up with the save.

Back the other way, Brown couldn’t handle a centering pass, and Somers took advantage. Mullins pushed the ball ahead to Mayfield, who found Kellock to draw another penalty. The freshman set up, dished to Connor, and at 5:33, Somers evened the score at 1-1.

Somers stayed energized after the equalizer. Mayfield controlled the faceoff, and Amelia Marcus earned a clean look on goal, but Hirt stood tall. From there, Pleasantville shifted momentum decisively.

Maddie Becerra and Ella Collins each fought for position on the left post and powered in goals, and Collins later set up Brown for another, pushing the lead to 4-1.

Somers escaped the first period without further damage, but Pleasantville wasted no time extending its lead. Just a minute into the second, Brown forced a turnover and connected on a give-and-go with Becerra to make it a four-goal game at 10:58. Two more goals followed in quick succession.

After a timeout, Somers found a brief spark. Winning her own draw, Mayfield spotted an opening on the left and drove to the net, cutting the deficit to 7-2 at 7:02.

Still, Pleasantville’s passing and physicality proved too much. The Panthers added four more goals to close the half and another six to open the third period.

To their credit, the Tuskers continued to battle. Somers closed the game with goals from Mia Paulmeno, Amelia Marcus, Caitlyn Mayfield, and Sophia Bernardi.