Given the tough opposition that loomed ahead, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team could not afford to slip in games that it knew it could win.

One of those type of contests evolved last Monday, at Jordan-Elbridge, where the Lakers trailed by three in the second half, only to rely on tremendous defense and timely scoring to turn it around and beat the Eagles 11-8.

A vastly improved team from 2015, J-E showed why that was the case in the first half, trading goals until, with a 3-0 run, it took a 6-4 advantage.

It stayed that way into the second half, too, J-E getting in front 8-5 as, by that point, Miranda Malvaso had a three-goal hat trick, with Antonia Malvaso accumulating a goal and three assists and Marissa Malvaso converting twice.

For the rest of the game, though, the Eagles could not manufacture anything against a pumped-up Cazenovia defense anchored by goalie Sophie Goris (who finished with eight saves), and by the middle of the second half the Lakers had sprinted out in front for good.

Closing on a 6-0 run, Cazenovia saw Keara Dwyer and Chloe Willard each net four goals. Olivia McEntee scored twice, with Megan Henderson earning the other goal as Mikaylee Whalen and Madison Filkorn had one assist apiece.

Outside the Malvaso sisters, only Alexis Fietta and Emily Kuehnle earned goals for J-E, with Fietta adding two assists and Kuehnle one assist. Anna Bozeat made 11 saves.

No late rally was required in the Lakers’ 17-7 win over Oswego two days later. Instead, Cazenovia roared out to an 11-3 halftime lead as Paige Nardella set the pace, pouring in five goals and adding a pair of assists.

Right behind Nardella, Willard had her second straight four-goal outing, tacking on a pair of assists. Henderson also scored four times, with Dwyer adding two goals and one assist. McEntee and Olivia Catania picked up the other goals.

Still at home Friday afternoon, Cazenovia took on Carthage and crushed the Comets 22-5, putting up its highest goal total of the season by reaching double digits in each half, even though it was a running clock for a large portion of the second half following a 12-4 first-half push.

Dwyer piled up six goals and five assists, leading a potent assault that included Connor and Willard each scoring three times, with Connor adding two assists. Nardella, Catania and Filkorn got two goals apiece. McEntee had a goal and two assists as Whalen, McEntee and Henderson netted single goals. Henderson, Catania and Nardella tacked on assists.

Chittenango continued its recent strong run, winning for the fourth time in six games last Tuesday when, paced by Ashley Young’s career-best performance, it defeated the combined Syracuse City squad 14-7.

At halftime, the Bears only led 7-6, but it controlled draws in the second half and, with constant possession, pulled away from Syracuse. Young, in particular, stood out, having a part in nearly every Chittenango scoring play thanks to six assists to go with her team-high five goals.

Nicole Zimmer scored three times, adding two assists, while Lauren Billington had three goals and one assist. Brooke VanGorden had two goals and one assist.  Tiffany Scofield added a goal as Rachel Wilson got two assists and Kaiden Williams one assist.

Two days later, the Bears went to Mexico and topped the Tigers 10-7, largely because it gained a 6-3 advantage by halftime. Zimmer’s hot streak continued as she scored four times and Allie Denton played a key role, too, stopping 13 of the 20 shots she faced.

Young finished with three goals and two assists. Billington, VanGorden and Scofield had the other goals, with Wilson gaining three assists and single assists. Mexico’s Kassidy Myers led her side, matching Zimmer by earning four goals.