Aided by a pair of dramatic overtime battles, the Cazenovia boys soccer team is trying to make itself one of the main contenders in the OHSL Liberty division, and the girls Lakers also have found a place atop the league standings.
In last Monday’s game against Solvay at the Sean Goggin Sports Complex, the boys Lakers rallied and, in overtime, pulled out a 3-2 win over the Bearcats.
Cazenovia took a 2-1 lead by halftime, only to have Solvay catch up in the latter stages and force the extra period.
Still, the Lakers pulled it out, Conor Race and Luke Dorsey each picking up one goal and one assist. Kevin Porter earned the other goal, with Alan Baldwin picking up an assist. Chris Matteson finished with seven saves.
More excitement awaited Wednesday against Homer, where the Lakers went to double overtime and, thanks to James Duffy’s heroics, won again by a 3-2 margin.
To start with, Duffy assisted on Tyler Modzeleski’s goal in the first half, the only one for either side. Homer came back, though, as goals by Andras Toszer and Drew Christopher left the Lakers trailing, 2-1.
But Duffy would rescue the contest. The Trojans got called for a penalty inside the 18-yard box, leading Duffy to a penalty kick. Homer goalie Taylor Withiam stopped it, but the rebound came back to Duffy and he fired it home to tie it, 2-2.
Through the first 10-minute OT period, it remained even. Then, in the second extra period, Dufy flashed open and, off a feed from Tyler Dunkle, pounded a hard shot that caromed off the post and behind Withiam into the net, winning it for Cazenovia.
This week-long homestand concluded Friday with a bit less drama against Jordan-Elbridge, but another Laker victory, this one by a 3-1 margin.
A pair of goalies, Jake Melfi and Jesse Rosebush, combined for 17 saves and kept the Eagles close for a while, as it only trailed 2-1 at halftime.
Still, Cazenovia would pull away late, watching Modzeleski earn one goal and one assist, with Alan Baldwin and Brodie Kellish also converting. Dorsey and Race also contributed assists.
Moving to the girls side, Cazenovia went to Solvay last Monday and had to work hard to squeeze past the Bearcats 1-0.
With a busy attack, the Lakers got on the board with Abbie McEntee’s first-half goal, fed by Kelsi Fredericks. Solvay goalie Chelsea Root stopped everything else and earned 23 saves, but the Bearcats could not pull even despite lots of its own chances. Jamie Enders had 10 saves for the shutout.
It proved easier in Wednesday’s trip to Homer, as Kristi Kleine and Audrey Burbidge took over for the Lakers in a 4-0 shutout of the Trojans.
Three different times, Kleine would find the net, earning a hat trick as Burbidge fed her well-timed passes, leading to a trio of assists. McEntee had the other goal, with Kayla Dorrance picking up an assist.
And the Lakers made it three wins in five days by taking out Jordan-Elbridge 4-1 on Friday, a game where Cazenovia scored all of its goals in a 4-0 first-half blitz.
Those four goals came from four different players – Kleine, McEntee, Burbidge and Colleen Dougherty. Kleine added two assists, with Burbidge and McEntee adding single assists.
Now the girls Lakers, 5-0 so far in league play, geared up for a tough week where it would meet the OHSL Liberty division’s two main powers, hosting Westhill on Tuesday and visiting Marcellus Friday night. Cazenovia’s boys team would visit Westhill and be home Friday to play Marcellus.