CENTRAL NEW YORK – A tough 2-1 season-opening win over Tully on Aug. 30 at the Sean Googin Sports Complex had the Cazenovia girls soccer team feeling some confidence going into its game with Cortland 24 hours later.
However, the Lakers were unable to get on the board in a 1-0 defeat to the Purple Tigers, who got all the offense it needed when Maude Terwilliger scored off a feed from Claire Turner.
So Cazenovia was 1-1 going into last Wednesday’s OHSL Liberty division opener against traditional power Marcellus, but here a slow start proved quite costly as the Lakers fell 3-0 to the Mustangs.
All the offense Marcellus generated came in the first half, with goals earned by Jadyn Baker, Claire Card and Cece Powell, all part of a continuous Mustangs attack.
To her credit, Skye Stanford was able to blank Marcellus in the second half and finish with 13 saves, but it could not overcome the visitors’ early surge.
A night before Cazenovia faced Marcellus, Chittenango opened its season with its own game against Cortland, but this one was on the road.
The Bears prevailed, though, blanking the Purple Tigers 2-0 as Abby Scheidelman got both goals and the defense, though constantly tested by Cortland, maintained the shutout, Rebecca Baldwin stopping all 10 shots she faced.
Chittenango’s scheduled home opener against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill was postponed by dangerous weather, but on Saturday the Bears hosted Jordan-Elbridge
Meanwhile, Cazenovia played in the Mount Markham Optimist Tournament and found itself in an epochal opening-round game against Hamilton.
Through 80 minutes of regulation, overtime and a weather delay, it remained 1-1, Cassia Race getting the Lakers’ goal assisted by Abby Lansing and Kristen LaFrance scoring for the Emerald Knights. But in a penalty kick shoot-out, Hamilton prevailed 4-3, overcoming Stanford’s 12 saves.
On a busy Saturday, Cazenovia won the consolation game at Mount Markham 6-3 over Utica Proctor, a tough game where it was only 3-2 at halftime before the Lakers were able to pull away in the second half.
Leading this push, Raeanne Thompson scored twice and got two assists. Dinah Gifford also had a pair of goals, with Sally Hughes and Maura Phillips each adding one goal and one assist. Lansing had two assists
Meanwhile, Chittenango ripped Jordan-Elbridge/Cato-Meridian 8-1 as Scheidelman proved unstoppable, not only getting a three-goal hat trick but picking up three assists.
Danielle Ramie helped out, scoring twice, while Taylor Verlardi added a goal. Assists were also credited to Abby Baldwin, Madelyn Dziedzic and Alex Sylstra, with Rebecca Baldwin’s nine saves leading to another shutout.