CAZENOVIA – By most measurable standards, it was a fine season for the Cazenovia girls soccer team, working its way to 12 wins in the fall and a close second-place finish to Skaneateles in the Onondaga High School League Liberty 2 division standings with a 7-2-1 mark.
However, the Lakers could not make it out of the opening round of the Section III Class B playoffs, dropping a tense 1-0 decision to Marcellus Tuesday night at the Sean Googin Sports Complex.
Cazenovia entered the sectional playoffs as the no. 6 seed in a 16-team bracket, and the match-up with the no. 11 seed Mustangs brought some good vibes since the Lakers won 2-1 at Marcellus exactly one week earlier.
Here, though, the defenses would control matters most of the way. With little open space to work with, Cazenovia and Marcellus remained 0-0 through the first half and most of the second half, too.
With slightly more scoring opportunities, the Lakers saw all seven of its shots stopped by Mustangs goalie JoJo Leubner, which beat Skye Stanford’s total of four saves.
Then, with eight minutes left in regulation, Marcellus found room in Cazenovia’s end – and Janie Powell raced to it, beat the Lakers’ defenders and sent a shot past Stanford.
Unable to respond, the Lakers watched the Mustangs advance to a sectional quarterfinal against no. 3 seed Lowville.
Finishing at 12-4-2 overall, Cazenovia will see a strong senior class depart, including Julia Reff, Katie Rajkowski, Riley Knapp, Caitlyn Smithers and Hannah Ruddy, though Stanford, Dinah Gifford, Ava Vanetti and Ella Baker return in 2023.
