While it was true that the page in the calendar had turned a page and that the rosters were different on both sides, the Cazenovia field hockey team’s encounter with Whitney Point on Sunday afternoon at Maine-Endwell High School for the state Class C championship carried an awful lot of familiarity to it.
These were, after all, the same teams that had played for the state title in 2015, and they were meeting on the same Maine-Endwell turf where, last November, the Eagles, by a 3-1 margin, denied the Lakers a third state crown.
And when all was done in the title-game rematch, the final score nearly was the same, too, but a late goal made it 4-1 in Whitney Point’s favor as the Eagles made it three consecutive state titles, while the Lakers were unable to add to the first-place medals it won in 2010 and 2011.
One common trait throughout Cazenovia’s post-season run this fall was an ability to get a goal on the board in the opening minutes – but it could not do so here, as Whitney Point seized the early initiative and gradually built up pressure through the first 20 minutes.
Then, with 9:30 left in the first half, Whitney Point’s Leanne Bough fed a well-timed pass to Elaina Burchell, who ripped a shot that Shea Flannery had no chance to stop as it crashed home, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Less than five minutes later, Cazenovia’s deficit doubled at the hands and sticks of the Bough-Burchell duo again. Here, though, it was a penalty corner that Bough used to feed it to Burchell, who converted for the second time in the game.
Not only were the Lakers trailing 2-0 at halftime, it hadn’t even generated a real attack, held without a shot by a stingy Eagles defense during that opening half. That had to turn around if this state final was going to end differently than the 2015 version.
Whitney Point wouldn’t allow for a turnaround, though, as less than nine minutes into the second half Taylor Ferro, off a feed from Victoria Petrie, put home the Eagles’ third goal. That proved far too much to overcome, though Janie Kempf did score with 3:44 to play to prevent a shutout before Ferro returned to net a goal with 1:01 left.
Each side had got to the title game following close state semifinals on Saturday at Maine-Endwell. First, Whitney Point rallied with a pair of late goals to defeat Carle Place 2-1. Then, when it was Cazenovia’s turn, it had to fight off Section I champion Bronxville, hanging on late to beat the Broncos 3-2.
Kempf, whose second-half goal made the difference in the Lakers’ 2-1 win over East Rochester in the Nov. 5 regional final, didn’t wait to contribute this time around. Less than six minutes into the game, Kempf, who had just missed on a good scoring chance moments earlier, converted this time around off passes from Molly Lahart and Caeli Carroll.
Constantly in a defensive mode during the early stages, Bronxville nearly pulled even when Hannah Weirens got open near the net midway through the first half, only to have her shot blocked by Zoe Shephard, who then helped Cazenovia make it 2-0 by passing on a penalty corner to Mikaylee Whalen, who fired it home.
Not making things easy, the Broncos cut the deficit to 2-1 just before halftime on Mia Bettino’s goal, assisted by Ellie Walsh. Once more, Cazenovia was threatening to throw away a quick start in the post-season game and, once more, it would answer.
A second penalty corner conversion came less than nine minutes into the second half as Morgan Giordano found the net, assisted by Whalen. That proved even more valuable when Weirens sent one past Shea Flannery with more than seven minutes to play.
Cazenovia knew what to do with that lead, though, as Delaney Yates, Sam Morgan, Kathryn Kielbasinski, Lizzy Shephard and the rest of the defense ably killed the rest of the clock to lead them right back to where it had gone four times in the past decade, only succeeding twice – and not on this occasion, either.
Still, it had proven a marvelous season for the Lakers, who won its 11th consecutive Section III title and got to the state final with a fairly young roster. Five valuable seniors – Kempf, Giordano, Yates, Carroll and Lizzy Shephard – will graduate, giving more work to Whalen, Flannery, LaHart, Morgan, Kielbasinski and Zoe Shephard as they come back in 2017, aiming for another state final four visit and, perhaps, a happier ending.
