WHITESBORO – Now the education of the Cazenovia field hockey team known as the 2024 season is complete, with plenty of struggles but also a lot of reason to feel good about what lies ahead.
Playing with just a handful of seniors on a roster mostly filled with freshmen and sophomores, the Lakers had started 1-6, but then went on a 5-3 stretch in the second half of the regular season to convince itself that it needed the experience of the Section III Class C playoffs.
And when it got there Wednesday afternoon at the Accelerate Sports Complex in Whitesboro, Cazenovia, the no. 5 seed, more than held its own against no. 4 seed Holland Patent before taking a 2-0 defeat to the Golden Knights.
Like the Lakers, HP has a long and rich field hockey history, but went through turmoil just before the season when the school board unexpectedly removed head Renee Morrison despite Morrison’s 130-49-7 record and five sectional championships.
McKenzie Keator took over, but the Golden Knights only went 5-10-1 in the regular season, far from its usual standard. Still, when playoff time arrived HP was ready for it.
Constantly on the attack, the Golden Knights quieted Cazenovia from the outset and took a 1-0 lead in the second quarter when Alivia Quesnell put a shot past Lakers goalie Rae Western.
That one-goal margin remained for a while, a tribute to a strong Cazenovia defense which turned back several HP chances, Western eventually working her total to seven saves.
Only when Quesnell returned in the fourth quarter to convert did the Golden Knights put the game away, advancing to a sectional semifinal against top seed Little Falls.
Meanwhile, Cazenovia finished at 6-11, knowing full well that a deep pool of players, from Western to all eight of this season’s goal-scorers – Bridget Stromer-Galley, Carlysle Ducey, Sidney Thompson, Lorelei Bock, Dani Stanford, Eliza Huftalen, Hayden Bubble (who led the team with seven assists) and Alayna Berson – could return in 2025 as could Olivia Puffer, Ava Eno and Brittney Hansen.
