At least in the initial stages of the 2012 season, the Skaneateles girls soccer team were still in search of some offensive spark. And it didn’t arrive until the third game of the season, when the Lakers went to Jordan-Elbridge and got lots of players involved during a 5-1 victory over the Eagles. Steadily, the Lakers applied pressure, and it led to a trio of first-half goals. Then Skaneateles added to that 3-0 lead with two more tallies as it pulled further away in the second half. Five different players – Elizabeth Lane, Rachel Hurley, Sarah Tomlinson, Madison Singler and Hannah Powers – put in the five goals, with Hurley adding an assist. The Lakers’ defense held J-E to four shots, all scooped up by Mary Buck. The Lakers, under the guidance of head coach Todd Cook, began play on Sept. 1, hosting Class AA contender West Genesee, and found itself in a defensive mode through much of a 3-0 defeat to the Wildcats. Skaneateles only trailed 1-0 at halftime, the back line holding up and Mary Buck on her way to 14 saves. However, WG added to the margin in the late going as Morgan Ribble, Emily Barriere and Mia DiBello put in the Wildcats’ goals. Back home, the Lakers were set to meet Solvay last Tuesday night, but rain and lightning cut things short with the game still 0-0 – just as they had done for the Skaneateles boys team’s game at Marcellus, where the Lakers were leading 1-0 late in the first half before teams were sent off the field, not to return. Not until Friday night did the Skaneateles boys get to play a full 90 minutes, and when it did, against visiting Westhill, it could not get on the board in a 1-0 defeat to the Warriors. Other than giving up Jackson Haber’s first-half tally, the Lakers’ defense was stout, anchored by goalie Erik Pola, who finished with 11 saves. Skaneateles had all kinds of chances to pull back even, but got turned away as Westhill goalie Chris Burrows stopped all nine shots he faced. The Sknaeateles boys should straight itself out with games against J-E and Phoenix this week. The girls Lakers head to a week where it has league matches against Hannibal and Cazenovia, with a non-league game against McGraw in between.