Fresh off a third-place showing at its own tournament, the Cazenovia girls soccer team would, through a pair of league games, get a better idea of where it stood, relative to the other OHSL Liberty division contenders.
First, the Lakers got a glimpse of the improvement Solvay had made since last season, as it needed to make a second-half comeback, then battle through overtime to beat the Bearcats 4-3 last Tuesday at the Fenner Street complex.
Aggressive from the start, Solvay had control in the first half, converting twice as Cazenovia struggled to find its own footing. Only the great work in goal of Jamie Enders, who finished with 13 saves, kept things from getting away.
Down 2-0 at the break, the Lakers responded with a second-half barrage of its own to tie the game at 2-2. Then, in the first overtime period, both Cazenovia and Solvay scored, adding to the excitement as it was now 3-3.
Finally, in the second OT, Katie Kleine flashed open and, unassisted, pushed the game-winner past Solvay goalie Alexis Root. It was Kleine’s second goal of the night, adding to tallies from Kristen Romagnoli and Colleen Dougherty. Alexis Bandera, Mickenzie Moore and Amanda Bigness accounted for the Bearcats’ goals.
On Thursday, the Lakers (3-1) will visit defending Section III Class B champion Westhill.
