In a generous spirit, the Cazenovia field hockey team hosted East Syracuse-Minoa’s return to the varsity ranks Tuesday afternoon at the Burton Street Elementary School that the Lakers call home.
That’s where the generosity ended.
The Lakers, in hot pursuit of a fifth consecutive Section III title, pushed the newly-minted Spartans around the field and nearly reached double digits on the board as it earned a 9-1 victory.
Nothing less than titles will satisfy head coach Lorraine Scheftic’s charges in 2010. Just two starters graduated from last season’s sectional title team that went 17-0-1 before losing again in the regional finals to Marathon. And the returnees include Tori Widrick and Belle Hoagland, both of whom played in the Empire State Games this summer.
Given all this, ESM, who hadn’t played varsity field hockey since the late 1980s, were in for quite a baptism as the Lakers won its 50th straight Onondaga High School League contest.
Steadily, Cazenovia worked its way to a 4-0 halftime edge, then kept on adding to the margin. Widrick, verbally committed to attend Ball State next fall, led with four goals and one assist as Abby Eschen chimed in with two goals and one assist.
Elsewhere, Hoagland had one goal and one assist, while Jillian Vogl and Kara Stalder also converted. Melissa Koch got ESM’s first varsity goal in the second half.
Cazenovia plunges into the heart of its OHSL schedule next week, with trips to Cato-Meridian and Weedsport and a home match with Port Byron sandwiched in between.
