Cazenovia wins again in Section III tournament

Shephard, Kempf each score twice in win

Cazenovia got off to a slow start last week in it’s Section III Class C field hockey semifinal against Little Falls, trailing 2-1 at halftime before rallying for a 3-2 overtime victory.

Sunday, the Lakers came out firing.

Zoe Shephard and Mikaylee Whalen scored in the opening 11 minutes, giving their team a lead it never relinquished in a 5-2 victory over Holland Patent, Cazenovia’s 11th consecutive Section III title.

“Every year is a different bunch of kids. Every year is different,” said Lakers’ coach Lorraine Scheftic. “This is what they play for. Today is the day, the section championship is the day that they play for. Everything else after this is nice and wonderful and awesome. To win a state championship is great but every girl on that team is playing for a sectional championship.”

Shephard finished with two goals and an assist while teammate Janie Kempf added two goals of her own in the victory.

Whalen got Cazenovia off to the quick start, putting a near-post shot on goal in the 2nd minute that goalie Joelle Freiermuth saved. The senior added another stop five minutes later to keep the game scoreless.

Freiermuth finished with 11 saves but Shephard beat her

in the 10th minute to give the Lakers the lead. The junior midfielder dodged her way through the Golden Knights’ defense, firing the ball into the goal for a 1-0 advantage.

“I know I saw an opening,” said Shephard. “They weren’t really coming out and pressuring me so I just decided to take it in and it worked.”

Whalen needed just over a minute to add to that advantage, scoring on a penalty corner with an assist from Caeli Carroll for a 2-0 lead.

“Early goals are always important in the game of field hockey,” said Scheftic. “It’s not easy to score so having those early goals is very important.”

The Lakers continued to put the pressure on but the Golden Knights cut the lead in half in the 24th minute on a goal from Alexandra Livesey and the 2-1 score would hold through halftime.

Kempf opened the scoring in the second half, finishing Carroll’s second assist for a 3-1 lead in the 34th minute. Kempf’s second came in the 54th minute, with an assist by Shephard.

“It felt good,” said the senior. “It was definitely scary when they got two in but it always feels good.”

That goal was the first of three in a span of 1:01 for the two teams. Anna Healey needed just 16 seconds to score for Holland Patent and bring the Cazenovia lead back down to two goals. Shephard, however, weaved herway through the defense again on the other end and capped the scoring with her second goal, coming in the 55th minute.

Cazenovia advances to face Weedsport in the Section III Class C/D crossover game on Tuesday at East Syracuse-Minoa.

KYLE MENNIG – ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH Cazenovia’s Mikaylee Whalen (6) brings the ball up the field as Holland Patent’s Madeline Acevedo (6) defends during the Section III Class C final in Manlius on Sunday.

KYLE MENNIG – ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH Cazenovia’s Zoe Shephard (5) and Janie Kempf (3) react after Shephard’s goal against Holland Patent.

KYLE MENNIG ‑ ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH Cazenovia’s Zoe Shephard (5) and Janie Kempf (3) react after Shephard’s goal against Holland Patent in the Section III Class C final on Sunday.