CENTRAL NEW YORK – A busy closing stretch of the regular season for the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team did not start on a good note.
Up against Westhill last Monday night, the Lakers found itself overwhelmed on both ends, leading to a 20-3 defeat.
Riley Knapp scored twice in the fist half and Julia Reff added a goal, with Katie Rajkowski, Maren Smith and Charlie Prior each picking up assists.
Even with that, though, Westhill went up 11-3 by halftime and blanked Cazenovia the rest of the way. Olivia Lints had seven saves as, for Westhill, Adelaide Lowery scored five times, with Rosemary Mahoney, Kara Rosenb erger and Karly Dillobaugh getting three goals apiece.
Cazenovia rebounded on Wednesday night with a 12-9 victory over Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, the Lakers getting out in front 7-4 by halftime and then equaling everything the Red Devils produced in the late going.
Reff scored four times, contributing an assist, and the rest was spread around well as Rajkowski, Knapp, Prior and Madison DeAngelis each got two goals and Smith had two assists. Eliza Smith recorded five saves.
Playing one more time at home Friday night, Cazenovia welcomed General Brown, and despite a solid offensive effort again found itself taking a defeat, 15-11, to the Lions.
Rajkowski and Knapp carried Cazenovia’s attack for long stretches, with Rajkowski scoring six times and Knapp three times. DeAngelis and Hayden Bubble both had one goal and one assist, while GB got five goals from Trinity Stowell, four goals from Alivia Cross and three goals from Ava Dupee.
Chittenango, who had started 0-6, claimed its sixth victory in nine games last Tuesday night against visiting Mexico, pulling away to top the Tigers 13-6.
Here, it was decided early, the Bears roaring out to a 9-1 halftime lead and eventually seeing Cara Kielbass put up a season-best five goals.
Caitlyn Sgambellone scored three times, with Tomi Newkirk getting two goals and two assists. Single goals went to Madilyn Dykeman, Sequoya Roberts and Alazayah Smith as Abby Penfield earned eight saves.
Meeting East Syracuse Minoa in its regular-season finale, Chittenango continued its hot streak, prevailing 11-3 as it blanked the Spartans in the second half, Abby Penfield working her total to 10 saves.
In front of Penfield, Sgambellone, with two goals and four assists, anchored an attack where Walters and Kielbasa each scored three times, Walters tacking on two assists. Newkirk had a goal and two assists as Roberts and Peresphone Rohrer also converted.
Slotted into the Section III Class D playoffs as the no. 9 seed, the Bears face no. 8 seed Clinton in Monday’s opening round, the winner to get top seed South Jefferson as Cazenovia, the no. 7 seed,hosts no. 10 seed Jordan-Elbridge with the winner meeting no. 2 seed Skaneateles a day later.
