At the very least, the Cazenovia girls soccer team wanted to go to Westhill last Thursday and exact a small amount of revenge for dropping last year’s Section III Class B title game to the Warriors.
What no one, even the Lakers, could have expected was the swift and decisive way in which that payback was gained.
Swarming all over in the field in the first half, Cazenovia found the net five times, a whirlwind of speed and execution that decided the outcome by halftime, leading to a 5-0 victory.
Despite losing a solid core of seniors from its 2006 championship squad, Westhill had still run off to a 3-1 start and, at home, expected to give Cazenovia plenty of fight.
However, the Lakers, a year older than in ’06 and far more diverse in its attack, were energized and refreshed, having not played since an opening stretch of six game in nine days culminated with its Laker Tournament title on Sept. 8.
Right from the moment of the opening whistle, Cazenovia attacked in waves, and took full advantage of the defensive attention Westhill paid to Kassie Kleine.
Before the game hit the nine-minute mark, Katie Kleine charged and forced goalie Caitlin Coleman out of the net. When the initial shot slipped away, Chelsea McKillop poked the rebound just inside the right post, beginning the avalanche.
Barely two minutes later, it was 2-0, as Katie Kleine broke open down the right side, waited for Coleman to charge out, then fired the ball right past her for the goal. By the 19th minute, it was 3-0, Kara Cannizzaro breaking free for a run straight up the middle that led to an easy goal.
Even when Coleman was pulled in favor of Lauren Wolfe, the barrage continued. McKillop lobbed a 20-yard shot over Wolfe’s head in the 25th minute for another goal, the fourth in a span of less than 16 minutes, and Katie Kleine would return to earn her second goal less than four minutes before halftime.
While all this was going on, defenders Whitney Goris, Katie Wheeler, Rachel Burbidge, Sarah Wright and Ashleigh Baldwin shut the door to keep Laura Zimmerman and her fellow Westhill attackers from earning many scoring chances.
And even when Zimmerman got a penalty kick late in the first half due to a handball inside the 18-yard box, she pulled it wide of the net. Clare Dorsey was spared at that moment, but she still made seven saves for the shutout.
With a record of 6-1, Cazenovia faces games against Jordan-Elbridge and Bishop Ludden next week, trying to resist the temptation not to look ahead to Monday’s big trip to Marcellus, which is shaping up as a battle for the early OHSL Liberty division lead.
