With a post-season berth secured, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team could spend the early part of May testing itself in all sorts of ways, and last week’s pair of games provided plenty of lessons.
First, the Lakers, who were no. 14 in the latest state Class C rankings, would visit state Class B no. 22-ranked Jamesville-DeWitt last Wednesday and get off to a superb start, but could not make that stick in an 8-6 defeat to the Red Rams.
A strong defense, anchored by goalie Sophie Goris (who finished with six saves), kept Cazenovia in front as it took a 4-2 lead to halftime. Yet the pressure J-D put on them eventually took a toll, along with the fact that the Lakers didn’t diversity its attack.
Of Cazenovia’s six goals, five of them were scored by Chloe Willard, a feat nearly matching her older brother’s efforts in the boys game against J-D on that same turf a day earlier. But the rest of the team had just one goal, by Lucy Connor, as Olivia McEntee and Paige Nardella earned assists.
By contrast, J-D mostly relied on a quartet of players to surge out in front. Jillian Rivasi had three goals, with Alyssa Phillips and Katie Lutz each scoring twice and Lizzie O’Brien getting one goal and one assist.
It wouldn’t get easier on Friday, when Cazenovia hosted defending Section III Class C champion Skaneateles, who were 6-5 but were still no. 8 in the state rankings because it had played a brutal early schedule and had competed well even after losing its top player, Kyla Sears, for the season with a torn ACL in March.
Even with this better opportunity, Cazenovia still lost, 13-8, to Skaneateles, who got out to a 6-3 halftime lead and withstood all of the host’s attempts to catch up with a well-balanced attack led by Hannah Logan and Mae McGlynn, who each had three goals.
On Cazenovia’s side, Willard was well-contained by the Skaneateles defense, held to a single assist. Keara Dwyer did get three goals, with Connor and Nardella each scoring twice and Mikaylee Whalen also finding the net. McEntee and Megan Henderson added assists as Goris finished with six saves.
In a tense, close and low-scoring affair last Monday night, the Chittenango girls lacrosse team moved above the .500 mark last Monday night, improving to 6-5 by holding off the Cortland Purple Tigers in an 8-7 decision.
The Bears’ fifth win in its last six games avenged its only defeat in that stretch. Cortland had topped Chittenango 11-10 on April 22, but in the rematch 10 days later, it was the Bears getting in front, 4-3, by halftime and answering every time the Purple Tigers tried to catch up.
Nicole Zimmer and Lauren Billington accounted for most of Chittenango’s production, each of them getting three-goal hat tricks. Ashley Young and Brooke VanGorden both finished with one goal and one assist. Allie Denton made eight saves. Margaret Reagan led the Purple Tigers, also scoring three times.
Then Chittenango made it six out of seven wins on Saturday, and clinched a playoff spot, by defeating Whitesboro 17-10, more than doubling its total from the Cortland game by setting a brisk pace and seeing Young break out with five goals and four assists.
Billington scored four times, adding an assist, while VanGorden got a three-goal hat trick. Zimmer and Maddie Flack each found the net twice as Rachel Wilson got one goal and one assist. Maddy French contributed an assist, with Allie Denton picking up 12 saves in goal.
Now Chittenango, at 7-5, could clinch a winning record if it beat Tully and Clinton this week before tough games against CBA and Fulton to close the regular season. Cazenovia, at 8-6, has just two games left, hosting Jordan-Elbridge Wednesday and LaFayette on May 18.
