All through its rough opening stretch, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team counted on taking what it had learned from those games and turning it around at some point.
And it nearly happened in last Monday’s game against Marcellus at Cazenovia College’s Christakos Field, a tough battle where the Lakers were close until the final seconds of a 14-12 defeat to the Mustangs.
With the Marcellus defense bent on containing Cazenovia star Chloe Willard, it freed things up for Mikaylee Whalen, who set a career mark with six goals.
Willard still managed to score twice, adding an assist as Grace Rajkowski also got two goals. Zoe Shephard and Glenn Hartley had one goal apiece as Laura Lorraine picked up six saves.
For the most part, the Mustangs held on because it got five goals from Grace Coon and four goals from Lily Powell, with Katherine Locastro earning four assists to go with her three-goal hat trick.
Cazenovia was idle until Saturday, when the sun returned and so did the Lakers’ winning ways as it worked past the combined Bishop Grimes/Bishop Ludden/Onondaga side 9-8.
Giving up just two goals in the first half, Cazenovia got out in front, but stayed there because it kept answering in the late stages every time Ludden/Grimes/OCS got close.
And this was mostly the work of Willard, who carried the Lakers’ attack by netting seven goals, the other two tallies going to Whalen. Each of Lorraine’s nine saves would prove important.
Late this week, Cazenovia makes trips to Whitesboro and LaFayette, looking to improve upon the 3-5 record it attained in the first half of the regular season.
Chittenango had to deal with reigning state Class D champion Skaneateles last Tuesday night along with mid-April snow. All of it proved too much for the Bears, who fell to the Lakers 17-2.
Ally Shoemaker and Alyssa Frantz picked up Chittenango’s goals, while Julia Pynn got an assist. Skaneateles raced to an 11-1 lead by halftime as Olivia Navaroli, with six assists, passed it to the likes of Gaby Welch (four goals), Riley Brogan and Ioanna Christou (three goals each). Grace Dower added two goals and two assists.
On Friday, Chittenango met Syracuse City, and lost a 9-4 decision. Pynn got a goal and two assists as Frantz, Sarah Martin and Alyssa Graham also scored. Watt made nine saves as Erin Lehmann had five of Syracuse’s nine goals.
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