Ever since they both got together again in the Onondaga High School League Liberty division, the Chittenango and Cazenovia girls soccer teams have enjoyed a lively rivalry, with neither side dominating.
In the case of the 2019 regular season, the neighborhood bragging rights would go to the Bears, who turned back the Lakers 3-1 last Monday night to improve its overall record to 9-3.
Chittenango had, of course, started 7-0 before a trio of defeats to Westhill, Marcellus (in overtime) and Cicero-North Syracuse late in September.
Far more steady, Cazenovia carried a 9-3-1 record into its trip into Bear Country, but would find on this night that it had no answer for one Chittenango striker in particular.
Three different times, Madison Wagner would convert, her hat trick including a pair of unassisted goals and one assisted by Savannah Penoyer, which negated 11 saves by Cazenovia goalkeeper Tessa Hansknecht.
Throughout the game, the Lakers would test the Bears’ defense, and while it did allow a goal, many more chances were turned back, Cassidy Kelly also recording 11 saves.
Cazenovia did not have much time to recuperate, going to Solvay two nights later and using a consistent attack to pressure the Bearcats and ultimately get what was needed to prevail 2-0.
As the Lakers’ defense fully contained Solvay, the Lakers were patient on the other end of the field, overcoming 13 saves from Bearcats goalie Nancy Gonzales and Haley Muehl by having Lili Gavitt and Caitlin Smithers pick up goals.
On Friday afternoon, the Lakers had its last home game of the regular season against Oneida, and claimed its second consecutive victory with a productive attack that took the Indians apart in a 7-3 victory.
All game long, Gavitt proved impossible to contain, notching the team’s first, third and sixth goals while assisting on two others to augment her hat trick.
Lily Clonan and Katie Rajkowski both had one goal and one assist, with Smithers and Julia Reff also converting. Megan Hughes picked up an assist as Cazenovia took 34 shots to Oneida’s eight.
Chittenango looked for three wins in a row last Wednesday at Phoenix, and it wasn’t easy, the Firebirds showing its 6-4-1 record was far from a fluke as it pushed the game to the wire before the Bears won 2-1.
In each of Chittenango’s two scoring lays, Sarah Martin converted, with feeds from Emily Moon. Phoenix did convert once, but Kelly’s seven saves helped her side hang on.
More opportunities to win for the Bears would arrive in the last week of the regular season as it made up a postponed Oct. 3 match with Mexico in between games against Solvay and General Brown.
Cazenovia would venture to Hannibal Friday before finding out Sunday, along with Chittenango, where it would get seeded for the Section III Class B playoffs.
