When the Cazenovia field hockey team goes to Weedsport Tuesday afternoon for a first-place Onondaga High School League showdown, it culminates the Lakers’ toughest stretch of the regular season.
Over nine days, beginning last Monday at Port Byron and continuing through its appearance in the O’Connor Classic at Camden High School, the Lakers would play five times and, by the time it was over, would see how it dealt with real adversity.
For it was in that tournament in Camden that the Lakers would suffer its first defeat of the season, though a lot of it had to do with the opponent, Section II powerhouse Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, who played a terrific all-around game to topple Cazenovia 2-0.
Burnt Hills made it all the way to the state Class B final a year ago, and cared little for Cazenovia’s daunting offensive reputation. Throughout the game’s 60 minutes, the Spartans’ defense took away anything the Lakers tried to create.
Defensively, the Lakers, tested as never before this season, did fine most of the afternoon, but Burnt Hill still managed one goal in each half as Julia Levan and Carly Grant put shots past Kimber Nourse.
A day later, in the consolation game against Rome Free Academy (who lost to host Camden 7-0 in the other half of the opening round), it again proved close, but the Lakers got through it, edging past the Black Knights 1-0.
During a scoreless first half, neither side was able to break through. But Cazenovia kept working and, in the second half, notched the game’s only goal to take third place. Camden rallied to tie Burnt Hills 2-2 in the championship round.
Heading to Port Bryon last Monday afternoon, Cazenovia had not given up a goal in more than 330 minutes of action this fall. That shutout streak ended, but the Lakers still did enough to beat the Panthers 3-1.
It was Sam Relfe who finally cracked through Cazenovia’s formidable defenses and, off a feed from Katie Locastro, fit a shot past Lakers goalie Kimber Nourse late in the second half.
By then, though, Cazenovia already had a 3-0 lead. Midway through the first half, Rachel McLaughlin’s goal pushed the Lakers in front, but the real blow came when Sarah Willard converted less than a minute into the second half. Ashley Kent added a goal late in regulation as Willard and Sarah Liddell got credit for assists.
The only real respite for Cazenovia in this stretch came in Wednesday’s 6-0 win over Moravia, but even that match was a bit of a struggle, at least in the early going.
At the 12-minute mark, it was still 0-0 when the Lakers called a time-out. Whatever was said must have worked because, a few minutes later, Liddell scored off a penalty corner, and McLaughlin quickly followed with a goal that made it 2-0 at the break.
McLaughlin struck again early in the second half, which began the getaway from Moravia. Gabby Yates would make it 4-0, and then in the last three minutes Willard and Bailey Forrett both found the net, Willard working her total to three assists as McLaughlin and Josie Chiarello also got assists.
Then came the loss to Burnt Hills, but the recovery a day later provided a good sign of the Lakers’ resilience, something it will need when it goes to red-hot Weedsport. Cazenovia is back home Friday to face Cato-Meridian.
