Aside from the tough competition it is sure to face in its own league, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team also filled its 2016 schedule with tough non-league games, including last Wednesday night’s season opener at Fulton.
Throughout the game, the two teams went back and forth, trading the lead. But it was the Red Raiders making the last push, edging out in front and hanging on to beat the Lakers by an 11-10 margin.
Cazenovia, who fell to General Brown in last May’s Section III Class C quarterfinal, saw Keara Dwyer notch three goals and add a pair of assists. Chloe Willard also scored three times, with Paige Nardella adding a pair of goals. Lucy Connor and Olivia McEntee had one goal apiece.
Busy in the net, Sophie Goris finished with 10 saves. But her Fulton counterpart, Kaylin Pafumi, had 12 stops, and Fulton saw Keara Patterson and McKenna Chesboro each pick up four goals, with Chesboro adding one assist.
Two days later, Cazenovia faced LaFayette, and again it was close and hard-fought, but this time the Lakers made it to the win column, rallying late to top the Lancers 14-11.
Paced by Mya DeJoseph, who finished with four goals and one assist, LaFayette led, 7-5, at halftime. But that didn’t last as Cazenovia started winning more draws, attacking with regularity and more than doubled the Lancers’ output in the second half.
To lead that closing 9-4 push, Dwyer had to score five times and tack on a pair of assists. Nardella earned a three-goal hat trick of her own, while Willard and Connor finished with two goals apiece. McEntee had one goal and one assist as Megan Henderson earned the other goal.
Back on Tuesday night, Chittenango, who had dropped a narrow 8-6 decision to Clinton in its March 24 opener, found itself in another close battle against Homer, and again lost by a two-goal margin, this one ending 9-7.
What made this one hurt was that the Bears led, 5-4, at halftime, only to slump throughout the latter stages. The Trojans mostly depended on Olivia Porter, whose five goals accounted for more than half of Homer’s production as she also tacked on an assist.
Nicole Zimmer, with three goals, and Lauren Billington, with a goal and two assists, paced Chittenango’s attack. Rachel Wilson scored twice, with Ashley Young contributing a goal and assist.
Still at home Friday night, Chittenango faced Central Square and again lost, this time in a 10-6 decision. Much of that margin was built in the first half, when the Redhawks kept the Bears quiet and pulled out to a 5-2 advantage.
Though Chittenango’s production picked up late, it wasn’t enough. Zimmer, Billington and Young had two goals apiece, with Kaiden Williams joining Young in the assist column. Allie Denton made 12 saves. Central Square’s Megan Fisher led her side with three goals and two assists.
