Moving through the busiest stretch of its schedule, the Cazenovia field hockey team would trip up once, during the O’Connor Classic at Camden High School held on Sept. 23-24, when it managed a second-place finish.
Two defending Section III champions met up in the opening round on Oct. 23, the Lakers taking on the host Camden Blue Devils, winners of the last two sectional Class B titles. None of his affected Cazenovia too much as it led from start to finish and prevailed by a 3-1 margin.
The margin was built when the Lakers seized a 2-0 advantage in the first half. Mikaylee Whalen and Zoe Shephard earned goals, with Janie Kempf and Morgan Giordano each contributing an assist.
Meanwhile, Cazenovia’s defense continued to show its improvement, keeping Camden off the board until Delaney Alberico’s second-half goal. In contrast to the Lakers’ 15 shots, it only allowed six as Shea Flannery finished with five saves.
Vestal, from Section IV, had defeated Section II power Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake in the other part of the opening round, so Cazenovia met the Golden Bears in the championship game, and got blitzed in the first half, yet nearly made it all the way back before taking a 3-2 defeat.
Three times in the first half, Vestal put shots past Flannery, but she settled down and ultimately recorded 13 saves, keeping the Golden Bears off the board as the Lakers, trailing 3-0 at the break, tried to rally, only to fall just short despite goals from Shephard and Delaney Yates.
The loss, in a strange way, reinvigorated the Lakers, for in last Monday’s trip to Liverpool, the Lakers, furious at the loss, took it out on the Warriors, prevailing by a 5-2 margin.
Under first-year head coach Nicole Charles, who had succeeded Kim Dominick, Liverpool had struggled to a 2-5 start, and Cazenovia didn’t make things easier, putting together a sound all-around performance.
Shephard scored twice, adding an assist to lead a balanced attack. Giordano had one goal and one assist, while Yates and Whalen also found the net. Kempf and Caeli Carroll got one assist apiece, and while the Lakers’ defense stayed busy, Flannery made 11 saves, only surrendering goals to Claire Gaynor and Nicole Wilson.
When Cazenovia visited Moravia on Wednesday, it was the team’s sixth game in 10 days. But it didn’t slow down here, reclaiming its defensive prowess while still proving productive in a 3-0 shutout of the Blue Devils.
Moravia attacked plenty, but Flannery turned them all away, finishing with 11 saves. That assured the Lakers would prevail, and Lizzy Shephard went beyond her defensive duties to net one of the three goals, joining Whalen and Kempf in the scoring column.
Only now could the Lakers, sporting a 9-2 record, rest a bit before going to East Syracuse Minoa on Monday to begin the regular-season homestretch, which includes a second encounter with Cicero-North Syracuse (whom it beat 1-0 on Sept. 19) and a game with Auburn.
