Rains early in the week pushed back the Cazenovia girls soccer team’s appearance in the Section III Class B playoffs because it wanted to have one more true home game at the Sean Googin Sports Complex.
Conditions were better by Thursday night, when the no. 8 seed Lakers hosted no. 9 seed South Jefferson, and for a half things went well, but late struggles doomed the Lakers in a 4-2 defeat to the Spartans.
Eager to get into post-season action on its home field, Cazenovia grabbed a 2-1 lead in the game’s first 30 minutes. Lily Clonan put the Lakers on the board, assisted by Lili Gavitt, and Ava Gavitt followed with an unassisted goal.
Yet that advantage did not hold as South Jefferson’s Macy Shultz, turned the game around. Shultz’s three consecutive goals for a natural hat trick overcame Tessa Hansknecht’s five saves and ended Cazenovia’s season with an 11-5-1 record.
Since it had a turf field, Chittenango did not have the same concerns as Cazenovia and was able to open its sectional tournament last Wednesday night, looking quite impressive as it took out no. 11 seed Phoenix 5-0.
These teams had met two weeks earlier, the Bears pulling out a 2-1 decision, but here Chittenango put away the Firebirds early, turning to its potent attack, as it had for most of the season.
Emily Moon and Sarah Martin both scored twice, Moon adding an assist. Cavotta helped out with one goal and one assist as Cassidy Kelly turned back all five shots she faced.
Now, though, Chittenango would have to go to no. 3 seed Westhill for Saturday’s sectional quarterfinals, trying for a different result one month after a 4-1 loss to the Warriors on that same turf Sept. 24.
This one was much closer, eventually going into overtime – but like Cazenovia, Chittenango saw its season conclude as it took a 2-1 defeat to Westhll.
They were 0-0 until the second half, when Martin, unassisted, put the Bears on the board. Westhill scored, too, and though both sides had chances to settle it in regulation, neither did.
Only in the first of two mandatory 10-minute OT periods did Westhill move ahead for good, having seen Ashley Bolesh and Ciarra Rudnick earn its goals to overcome Kelly’s 12 saves. Warriors goalie Lauren Bendall had nine saves. The Bears finished its season at 14-4.
