CENTRAL NEW YORK – Somewhere in mid-September, the Cazenovia boys soccer team’s Sept. 20 defeat to Skaneateles and win over Cazenovia two days later, a significant change happened.
What was a Lakers squad surrendering large amounts of goals turned more stingy and, conversely, a quiet attack got quite loud, leading to lopsided victories and the possibility of a larger turnaround.
Cazenovia kept it up last Tuesday on a rain-soaked Senior Night at the Sean Googin Sports complex, roaring to a 6-2 victory over the Mexico Tigers to get to the .500 mark at 5-5.
Even if the conditions for a celebration were less than ideal, the Lakers got to showcase, for all the parents and fans on hand, just how much had changed in a short amount of time.
A game that was in doubt going into halftime, tied 1-1, turned into a romp when Cazenovia erupted for five goals in the final 40 minutes, with J.D. Dolly and Dan Raymond proving unstoppable.
Dolly picked up a season-best four goals, giving him 14 for the season, while Raymond converted twice to double his season output. Connor Frisbie earned two assists as single assists went to Alex Dolly and Ethan Coburn.
And this led to Friday’s neighborhood showdown between Cazenovia and Chittenango, who carried a 7-3-1 record and was intent on getting bragging rights in Madison County.
Start to finish, it proved thrilling, but the Bears got the best of it, edging the Lakers 3-2.
Twice in the early going, Gavin Karowski scored for Chittenango, with Jacob Scheidelman getting the other goal as Colin Smyth got credit for an assist.
Cazenovia countered with goals from Coburn and J.D. Dolly, with Alex Dolly getting an assist. But Logan Bronner made feour saves as the Bears held on late.
To start its week of action, Chittenango met Homer, and the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw.
Kyler Crump’s first half goal put the Trojans in front, but the Bears stayed patient and Scheidelman answered in the second half with an unassisted goal.
Chittenango controlled large swaths of the game, including the 20 minutes of overtime, yet never could net the game-winner, stymied by Homer goalie Braydon Fox, who amassed 15 saves.
