At the very least, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team is assured of a place in the Section III Class C playoffs. Whether it carries a full amount of confidence and momentum into the sectional tournament remains to be seen.
The Lakers’ playoff-clinching seventh win came last Monday night, against Tully, where a dominant first half led to a stress-free 13-4 victory over the Black Knights.
All game long, Cazenovia’s defense stayed aggressive, refusing to let Tully attack with any consistency. The end result was a game that was 8-2 by halftime, with the Black Knights never able to organize a response.
While goalie Sophie Goris was stopping 10 of the 14 shots he faced, Paige Nardella set the pace for the Lakers’ attack, scoring four times. Grace Milmoe contributed a three-goal hat trick, while Keara Dwyer had two goals. Chloe Willard had a goal and two assists as Audrey Burbidge, Olivia McEntee and Taylor Eldred also found the net.
Hosting Jordan-Elbridge two nights later, the Lakers put in another superb effort on both ends and rolled past the Eagles 15-5.
Throughout the first half, any J-E mistake turned into a goal on the other end, and by the time they reached the break, Cazenvoia had a 9-2 lead, and would not get caught.
Milmoe continued to roll, scoring four times, often on passes from Burbidge, who had two goals and four assists. Dwyer added three goals and Nardella put up two goals as Willard, McEntee, Clare Costello and Julia Wilson gained one goal apiece. Goris again was hot, recording 14 saves.
Now with an 8-6 record, Cazenovia will test itself against Westhill next Monday before visiting reigning state Class C champion Skaneateles in next Wednesday’s regular-season finale. The Lakers lost to both teams earlier this season – 13-11 to Westhill on April 16, 15-7 to Skaneateles five days later.
