For the Cazenovia field hockey team, playing important games in November has turned into a routine of sorts, with the Section III playoffs merely a prelude to the prize of a state championship the Lakers truly crave.
During this run off 11 consecutive sectional titles, Cazenovia has twice parlayed that into state titles, in 2010 and 2011. Other times, the Lakers got close, like it did in 2013 with an agonizing defeat to Pierson/Bridgehampton, and at other points it simply ran into superior opposition during the course of a state tournament that offers few, if any, breathers.
What adds to the challenge is that, ever since going to Class C a decade ago, Cazenovia would not only have to win the sectional title, but also a play-in against the newly-minted sectional Class D champions just to get into the state bracket.
For three straight years, this has meant Cazenovia defeating Weedsport, and it rarely as impressive in this round as it was Tuesday night at Rome Free Academy Stadium when it used a first-half blitz of three goals in less than five minutes to put away the Warriors, eventually prevailing by a 4-0 margin.
These teams had met early in the season, on Sept. 8 at Weedsport, with Cazenovia taking a 2-0 first half lead, and then hanging on late to prevail 2-1. Nearly two months later, the stakes were far higher, and the Lakers were not about to make things as interesting.
As it turned out, the opening minutes proved quite important. Weedsport applied pressure and earned four penalty corners, but Cazenovia’s defense, led by Delaney Yates, Mackenzie Yates, Lizzy Shephard and Kathryn Kielbasinski, turned them back.
And once the Lakers got chances, it didn’t miss, needing just eight minutes, 26 seconds to get on the board, thanks to Janie Kempf taking a pass from Molly LaHart and putting it past Weesdport goalie Nicole Soutar.
Energized by that goal, the Lakers attacked again and, three minutes later, Zoe Shephard made one of her patented runs through the defenses, took a shot and, when Soutar couldn’t kick away the ball far enough, put home the rebound.
Even a 2-0 lead wasn’t satisfactory enough, for Cazenovia regained possession and, in less than 90 seconds, had it to 3-0, Delaney Yates getting her turn as she scored off a feed from Morgan Giordano. It took just 4:54 of game time to build that three-goal margin.
Nothing more was needed, but Yates still returned to score again near the midway point of the second half. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ defense maintained the shutout, and when deflections didn’t work, Shea Flannery recorded six saves for her 10th shutout of the season.
Now it’s back to the state tournament, where on Saturday in the regional final at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium, the Lakers faces the West Regional champion, East Rochester (Section V) or Barker (Section VI). The winner advances to the Nov. 12-13 state final four at Maine-Endwell, near Binghamton.
