By Jordan J. Michael

GUILDERLAND –– Opinion: Lady Dutch lacrosse can win the Class AA state title. Fact: Lady Dutch lacrosse owns the Suburban Council.

Guilderland moved to 8-0 in the league and 10-0 overall with a 20-to-7 win over Shaker at home on Monday. The team made it all the way to the state semi-finals last season and it seems to be on the same track this year.

“Even though we are a very talented team, we can’t assume that we’ll win every game,” said Captain Danielle Tetreault after the game. She’s Guilderland’s leading scorer with 37 goals and 15 assists. “We earn every win because each player does their job right. That’s why we’re successful.”

“We have a huge target on our back because each team we play wants to be that team that beat us first,” said Head Coach Gary Chatnik. “There are teams, just like Shaker, who are good enough to beat us. We take every game seriously.”

The Lady Dutch had a 15-to-5 victory over Nanuet from Section I on Saturday at home. Bridget Daley had five goals and Tetreault had four goals.

Guilderland beat Shaker, 19 to 8, on April 7 and that was the Blue Bison’s only loss to date.

The Dutch got off to a quick 3-to-0 lead with a goal by Tetreault and two goals from Courtney Davis. Goalie Amanda Santandrea had a huge save on a shot by Shaker’s Charlotte Rehfuss.

Adrianne Devine put the Blue Bison on the board, but Jen Madsen quickly responded for Guilderland. Caroline Rehfuss rifled a shot past Santandrea to leave the score at 4 to 2.

The Lady Dutch looked to have the game in control after scoring four unanswered goals, gaining an 8-to-2 lead. Daley put one in top right and then scored another goal after a session of passing. Madsen faked out the defense and Tetreault cut through for a goal.

Shaker brought the ball back into the Guilderland zone, but Amy Branchini made an excellent stick check and the threat was killed. Santandrea made another excellent save on Lexi Dalcol, but Dalcol scored on the next play after a foul was called.

The Lady Dutch led, 8 to 3, with 3:34 to go in the first half.

“Santandrea is having another all-star year in the net for us,” Chatnik said. “She made a handful of big saves, yet again. She can stop shots that other goalies can’t.”

The Blue Bison started to pick up the offensive pressure towards the end of the half. Guilderland’s tight defense forced Shaker to take bad shots, many of them going long or wide of the cage.

The Lady Dutch had a 9-to-4 lead at halftime after Lauren Smith put in a late goal for the Bison. The Guilderland fans didn’t seem too concerned.

“Shaker is a talented team that plays us tough every time,” said Chatnik. “They beat us to the ground balls in the first half and we looked a little slow. We made some adjustments and picked it up in the second half.”

Scoring machine

Devine netted the first goal of the second half to keep the offensive surge alive for the Blue Bison. It was short-lived because Guilderland went on to score 11 of the next 13 goals.

Davis scored off a free position, making it 10-5. Tetreault made a sweet cut through the defense for a goal and Davis netted another one after fooling the defender. Tetreault bounced in a goal after being fouled.

The Lady Dutch had a commanding 13-to-5 advantage with 18:03 remaining in the game.

“We’re able to go on scoring tangents because we know where each other are at all times,” said Davis, who had five goals and three assists at the end of the day. “This offense has several motions, but we get most of our goals on the fast break,” she said.

Caroline Rehfuss scored two quick goals to make the score 13 to 7. Guilderland went on to score the final seven goals.

Kristen Cagino got in the scoring column and Tetreault scored off a penalty. Erin Mossop snuck a goal in from behind the net and Tetreault scored her sixth and final goal of the afternoon.

Mossop added two consecutive goals to increase the Lady Dutch lead, 19-7. Then, Mossop found Cagino from behind the net for an impressive one-timer goal. It was a pretty way to cap off all the scoring.

“We attack the goal and take as many shots as possible. No one is afraid of shooting,” said Chatnik. “This team can really play some lacrosse.”