Is this the season where the Cazenovia girls soccer team makes a prolonged push for both league and Section III Class B honors?
With Saige Ackermann anchoring a potent attack and lots of returning players from 2015, Lakers head coach Kaleen Sessler has a lot to work with as her team tries to improve from last season’s sectional quarterfinal defeat to Lowville.
Cazenovia made an emphatic statement on Sept. 2 against Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, smashing the Rebels 9-0 as Saige Ackermann, in particular, took apart whatever defense APW tried to use against her.
Ackermann netted the day’s first goal and then converted again as Chloe Boergesson and Kirsten Underwood earned assists. Then Ackermann converted four more times by game’s end, giving her six goals for the day.
And Ackermann wasn’t alone in producing against APW. Maddy Gavitt, Megan Henderson and Brenna Hughes also notched goals, with Henderson assisting on Gavitt’s tally.
More success would follow in the ensuing week, starting with last Tuesday’s visit to Hannibal, where Cazenovia, earning its second shutout in as many games, didn’t match the APW flurry, but took 35 shots to the Warriors’ four and still cruised to a 5-0 victory.
This time around, it was Henderson earning the hat trick, connecting on three of the Lakers’ first four goals, two of them off assists from Gavitt. Ackermann wasn’t quiet, either, assisting on Henderson’s first goal and Gavitt’s late tally, while putting in her seventh goal of the young season in the middle.
Two days later, the Lakers were supposed to visit Mexico, but weather postponed that game. Then, Saturday’s home tilt with Christian Brothers Academy was moved to Monday night in order to accommodate ACT testing for some of the players. Thus, Cazenovia plays three road games this week, also going to Phoenix and Clinton.
Chittenango, who faces Cazenovia on Sept. 20, was coming off nearly winning its own season-opening tournament, where it reached the final on Sept. 1, only to take a 1-0 defeat to the Homer Trojans.
Throughout that game, the Bears had minimal opportunities, held to just four shots. Meanwhile, Chittenango goalie Ava Dardaris made seven saves, but gave up the only goal of the contest to Homer’s Sunny Guyette, who poked it in after Nina Armideo’s shot was stopped.
The Bears were shut down again in last Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to Skaneateles. All of the damage was done in the first half, where Tess Peterson scored twice and Olivia Navaroli also found the net for the Lakers. Dardaris had to make 14 saves to keep it reasonable, but Chittenango had just four shots all night.
Following that, the Bears were off for seven days before a five-day stretch this week where it faces Hannibal, APW and Solvay.