Week by week, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team has displayed its improvement, with those efforts getting translated into victories on the field.
Another one of them arrived last Tuesday night, with the Lakers taking on Mexico and excelling in most phases of the game while recording a 12-5 victory over the Tigers.
Even as Mexico tried to control the pace in the first half, Cazenovia still worked its way to a 5-2 lead, and then more than doubled that margin with Grace Rajkowski and Molly Brown setting the pace.
Rajkowski had three goals and two assists, with Brown also scoring three times and adding an assist. Laura Connor and Molly Schwartz both found the net twice as Kaitlyn Puffer got a goal and assist. Charley Harris had a goal and Ava Hartley got an assist.
Looking for back-to-back wins, the Lakers visited LaFayette two days later, and once again was in top form, dominating the second half to overcome an early deficit and beat the Lancers 16-11.
All through the first half, neither side could stop each other. Gabby Oswald (four goals) and Marissa Evans (three goals) led LaFayette as it answered everything Cazenovia threw at them and led, 10-8, at the break.
But once the Lakers started to dominate the draws, it used that extra possession time to take the lead early in the second half, pulling away and displaying even more depth than it had shown before.
Brown, with four goals and two assists, and Puffer, with three goals and three assists, set the pace. Rajkowski and Hartley each scored twice, Rajkowski adding two assists.
Harris, Connor and Megan Hughes had matching totals of one goal and one assist, with Schwartz and Hope King also finding the net.
Back on Tuesday, the Chittenango girls had to travel to Hyatt Stadium to face the state’s top-ranked Class D team, Skaneateles, who showed little mercy in the course of defeating the Bears 20-3.
All that Chittenango could manage was Ally Shoemaker, Rhonee Shea Pal and Julia Pynn each getting one goal and one assist. For the Lakers, who went up 13-1 by halftime, Maggie Newton and Olivia Navaroli each had four goals, Navaroli adding three assists as Riley Brogan got two goals and five assists.
Chittenango did turn it around on Friday, handling Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 18-6 as it used an 8-2 push through the second half to pull away, Shea Pal dishing out a career-best eight assists to go with two goals.
Benefiting from Shea Pal’s passes, Shoemaker and Pynn both scored five times and got three assists apiece, with Julia Graham getting five goals and one assist. Alyssa Frantz had one goal and one assist, with Olivia Cianfrocco adding an assist.
But then the Bears had to face state Class D no. 6-ranked Marcellus on Saturday, and it lost 22-5 to the Mustangs, with Shoemaker and Pynn each netting two goals as Frantz earned the other goal. Shea Pal was held to one assist.
Chittenango hosts Jordan-Elbridge and goes to Mexico this week as Cazenovia, after playing LaFayette on Monday, has back-to-back games with Rome Free Academy on Thursday and Homer on Friday.
