CENTRAL NEW YORK – Even as the Cazenovia girls soccer team showed vast improvement in the course of Monday’s rematch with Chittenango, it still could not handle one player in particular.
It took all of super sophomore Abby Scheidelman’s array of skills to help the Bears prevail, 4-3 over the Lakers at the Sean Googin Sports Complex in a game closer than the 3-1 decision when the teams first met three weeks earlier.
Cazenovia constantly threatened in Chittenango’s end, successfully converting three times to partially negate the 12 saves put up by Bears goalie Susanna Horning.
However, Scheidlelman’s season-long scoring tear continued. Her latest three-goal hat trick was her sixth in eight games, giving her 20 for the season to nearly equal the 21 she put as a freshman in 2023.
Not only that, but Schedelman assisted on Lis Voncderwolt’s goal, which proved the difference-maker.
Now the Bears would challenge state Class B no. 5-ranked Christian Brothers Academy on Thursday night just as Cazenovia welcomed Marcellus, the 9-0-2 side atop the state poll.
The Mustangs proved too much for the Lakers, 6-1, roaring out to a 4-0 lead by halftime led by the high-scoring duo of Lexie Fragnito and Cece Powell.
With a three-goal hat trick Fragnito moved her season total to 18, while Powell converted her 12th and 13th goals of the fall and Aldrich converted, too.
Ava Vanetti did manage to get Cazenovia on the board in the second half, while goalies Skye Stanford and Becca Brooks combined to make seven saves.
Chittenango’s battle with CBA was closer, but the Bears lost 4-2, in large part due to a first half where the Brothers jumped out to a 3-0 advantage.
Despite all the attempts to contain her, Scheidelman did score in the second half, as did Bella Nastri, with Hannah Machan earning an assist. Vivianne Tedford had eight saves, but could not keep everything out as Ciara Duggan scored twice for CBA and other goals went to Katherine Williamson and Sophia Jones.
Far more stressful for the Bears was Saturday’s 5-4 defeat to Syracuse City, where it could not overcome a 3-1 halftime deficit thanks to Lily Lockwood getting three goals for Syracuse and Keani Diggs scoring twice.
At least that game was close, though, as Cazenovia was overwhelmed at home 8-0 by Bishop Ludden, who scored six times in the second half to get away led by Ashley Pawelczyk’s three goals and two assists.
