CENTRAL NEW YORK – With rain on hand for most of last week, it benefited each of the Cazenovia lacrosse teams to have its new artificial turf field in full use to host games.
Alas, it didn’t translate into victories, starting with the boys Lakers, who welcomed Christian Brothers Academy last Tuesday and took a 13-6 defeat to the Brothers.
Unable to add to its win total after blanking Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the March 27 opener, Cazenovia got little production outside start attacker D.B. Falge, who had five of the team’s six goals.
Only Alex Kuper converted otherwise, joining Paul Mitchell in the assist column as Tucker Ives, in goal, recorded 12 saves. CBA’s depth proved too much as Ben Anderson (four goals) and Jack Ludington (three goals, one assist) paced the Brothers.
That night, Cazenovia’s girls team visited CBA and, at Alibrandi Stadium, found itself overwhelmed by the Brothers’ attack as it lost by a score of 19-3.
It was 12-2 by halftime, with Charlie Prior involved in all three Lakers goals – two she scored, the other assisting on Hayden Bubble’s tally. For CBA, Maeve Mackenzie and Lilah Kirch each scored five times, Mackenzie adding four assists, while Sydney Vaughn finished with four goals.
A closer game on Saturday had Cazenovia fall 14-11 to Clinton, who got six goals and one assist from Dakota Deveans. Prior did net five goals for the Lakers as Bubble scored four times and Sally Hughes added a pair of goals.
Chittenango split its two games last Tuesday night, with the girls Bears prevailing 22-4 over Mexico with one of its highest goal totals in program history.
What made it even better for the Bears was the way it was spread around. Four different players – Tomi Newkirk, Persephone Rohrer, Gracie Brazell and Caitlyn Sgambellone – had five goals apiece, with Newkirk tacking on three assists.
It didn’t stop there, though. Reese Ferstler and Anna Lazzaro both gained one goal and one assist, Chittenango improving to 2-0 overall in the first of three games during a four-day stretch.
Meanwhile, Chittenango’s boys fell to Tully 15-4 in its season opener, Brendon Barnard earning two of the goals and assisting on the other two, by Henry Miller. The Black Knights got six goals from Tristan Hendricks and three-goal hat tricks from Jacob Verbanic (who also had three assists) and Dan Shetler.
A close game on Friday saw Chittenango’s girls improve to 3-0 with a come-from-behind 9-8 win over Southern Hills, the combined team from LaFayette, Tully and Onondaga.
The Storm led 5-4 at halftime and stretched the margin to 8-6 late in the second half, but the Bears stayed close, then charged down the stretch.
Newkirk’s third goal cut the deficit to one and Rohrer tied it, 8-8. Then, with two minutes left in regulation, Bella Nastri picked up a ground ball, broke through the Southern Hills defenders and netted the eventual game-winner, her first goal of the season.
Sgambellone was the only other Bears player besides Newkirk with multiple goals, converting twice. Brazell and Reece Ferstler joined Nastri and Rohrer with single goals. Chittenango overcame 13 saves by Storm goalie Kierra Reed.
Chittenango’s boys team lost 9-6 to Lowville on Saturday afternoon. Barnard, with three goals and two assists, accounted for most of the production, with the other goals going to Miller, Cole Dawkins and Macksen Cliff and Connor Bradbury making 25 saves.
