CENTRAL NEW YORK – Weather conditions and other schedule changes meant that the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team had to wait until mid-May to finally have its first home game of 2021.
And when it did, Cazenovia finally reached the win column, halting a four-game skid with a superb all-around effort to beat its fellow Lakers from Skaneateles 13-8 last Saturday at the Sean Googin Sports Complex.
Cazenovia chose this long-awaited home opener to honor its senior class, which included Gannon Houghton, Cody Dickinson, Max Michael, Eric Warner, Logan Hosler and Mike Avengikos.
And the seniors would have a memorable day against a Skaneateles side sporting a 4-3 record, yet unable to keep pace with the hosts as Cazenovia took a 6-5 lead to halftime.
During the last two periods, Cazenovia pulled clear, with a well-balanced attack led by Houghton and Dickinson, along with Brody Coleman and Jack Wright while goalie Chris Vecchiarelli stopped most of the shots he faced.
Long before this, none of the Lakers’ four defeats was as frustrating than its 10-9 loss to then- unbeaten Homer on May 4.
Led by Houghton (three goals), Coleman (two goals, one assist) and Wright (one goal, two assists), Cazenovia played a superb first half and led the Trojans 7-2 going into the break.
But Homer made up all that ground in the third quarter with five unanswered goals, and then pulled ahead late led by Jake Calabro’s three goals and two assists and rescued by 13 saves from Trojans goalie Colin Perks.
A week later, after falling 9-5 to Marcellus on May 6, the Lakers challenged another Class D contender, Westhill, and found itself in catch-up mode throughout a 13-6 loss to the Warriors.
Shut out in the second period, Cazenovia trailed 6-2 at halftime and got four goals in the third quarter, only to have Westhill match that total and then blank the Lakers down the stretch.
Houghton and Coleman both scored twice, with Dickinson and Forrest Ives getting single goals. To pace the Warriors, Luke Gilmartin amassed five goals and three assists and goalie Owen Mahar stopped 10 of the Lakers’ 16 shots.
Moving to girls lacrosse, Cazenovia lost 18-7 to Westhill last Tuesday night. Lily Sorbello and Riley Knapp both scored twice, with single goals going to Megan Kuhn, Katie Rajkowski and Carley Lounsbury.
But the Lakers roared back to winning form Thursday in a 22-5 romp over Mexico where it scored 11 times in each half, led by Rajkowski and Knapp, who both netted five goals as Rajkowski got a pair of assists.
Close behind them, Sorbello and Lounsbury both scored four times, with Kuhn and Riley Schug both earning one goal and one assist. Goals also went to Mae Sayre and Sammy Sparks.
A narrow 8-7 defeat to Central Square followed on Friday, the Lakers not quite able to overcome a 6-1 halftime deficit despite Knapp’s three goals and Rajkowski’s pair of goals. Lounsbury and Julia Ketcham also scored. Emma Dempsey (three goals) and Merissa McCorry (two goals, one assist) led the Redhawks.
