Final: Marathon 3, Bronxville 0

Marathon will play East Rochester tomorrow for the state title. East Rochester beat Pine Plains 3-1 in the other semi.

Congratulations to Bronxville on an excellent season, especially its three seniors – captains Jessica Murrer, Caroline Harris and Anne Piper. Bronxville coaches Courtnie Egan, Jackie Deppe Frawley and Andy “Liebs” Liebman could not have asked for three finer captains and individuals. Bronxville will miss Murrer, Harris and Piper next year. 

Bronxville came out flying in the game, creating two penalty corners in the first four minutes, but Marathon was up to the challenge. Before Marathon scored goals on successive corners, the Broncos and Piper negated the Olympians’ first three penalty corners.

Bronxville played a much better second half. The Broncos were sustaining pressure and generated four penalty corners to just one for Marathon. However, once again, Marathon was there. The Broncos were awarded a penalty stroke as a result of one corner, but Marathon goalie Cigi Edwards made the save.

Bronxville will have to fill the wide gaps at center forward (Murrer), center midfield (Harris) and goalie (Piper) created by the rio’s graduation. Bronxville will return everybody else, led by its entire defense of Bizzie Howitt, Maggie Goff, Anne Longobardo and Lilly Santoro, midfielders Rachel Kim and Libby Goodell and high-flying wings Brooke Gogel and Alex Lynch.

This will be the first time since 1999 that Section 1 will not have state champion or a state finalist. In this decade alone, Section 1 leads all sections with 10 state champions. Section 4 is second with eight, five of which belong to Marathon.

I voiced my anger and displeasure to Section 1 coordinator/Pelham field hockey coach Sue Hughes about the state draw this year and two years ago. I can’t wait to see next year’s draw, as far as how can the state make it the toughest on Section 1 to get to a state final four while other sections annually breeze into the final four.

Hughes explained it to me that Sections 8 and 11 have to play each other while Sections 5 and 6 also have to play each other. Okay, that’s understood, but how about making the rotation Sections 5, 6, 3 and 4 and the other half being Sections 1, 2, 9, 8 and 11? Just a thought. 

Update 2: It’s halftime and Marathon leads 3-0. Tessa Knapp scored Marathon’s third goal with 9:42 left in the first half. Marathon has six penalty corners. Bronxville has three.

Update 1: Stephanie Fiske scored at the 10:31 mark on a penalty corner and Marta Malmberg scored on another penalty corner at the 18-minute mark to give Marathon a 2-0 lead. Bronxville just called for timeout after the second goal.

Beginning of day report

Tony Pinciaro is at Chittenango High School for today’s Class C state semifinal between Section 4’s Marathon and Bronxville and will be checking in with updates. Stay tuned.