Barker Defeats East Rochester; Lady Raiders Prepare For Return Trip to States

That Barker magic.. it’s back.

The Lady Raiders of Barker went on a tear against East Rochester, downing the Bombers 6-1 on Saturday during the Far West Regionals held at Williamsville North high school.

This win punched their ticket to the NYSPHSAA Field Hockey Championships that will also be held at Williamsville North HS next week.

Barker, who entered the game at 16-3, was able to clean up some of the little missteps that had plagued them in earlier games.

“I thought we played well down in the circle, certainly better than the last few games,” said Costello. “Today we finished.”

“Last year when we began our season it was our hope to make a run to States and we were able to accomplish that,” said Barker head coach Jeff Costello following the game. “This year it was not a goal to get this far, it was an expectation.”

The team made it clear earlier today that they were going to advance past this game when they ripped off four goals in quick succession during the first half.

Serena Harris (assisted by Katrina Clare) drew first blood at the 17-minute mark, followed a few minutes later by an unassisted goal from Natalie Bruning.

Madison Gancasz then slipped the ball to Rachel Hurtgam for the finish; Gancasz put one in herself after another feed from Katrina Clare with a minute left in the half.

That momentum carried over into the second half; Barker extended their lead to 6-0 after a pair of goals from Ciara Gregoire (assisted by Aaliyah Wheat and a third feed from Clare, respectively).

Barker will now advance into the Final 4 of Class C; they’ll play the winner of Taconic Hills (Section IX) and Bronxville (Section I).

“I think the important thing for this group is that they’ve been there before,” explained Costello. “Last year we were a bit awe struck. We were a younger team without a lot of experience. This year we’re an older team with a lot of experience.”

Be sure to come cheer on the Lady Raiders next Saturday, November 16th at Williamsville North. The game is scheduled to start at 10am on Field 2.