OSWEGO — A big weekend coming up for the Lakers as they host Plattsburgh on Friday and Potsdam on Saturday. The Lakers will head into the action (3-5-1) overall, but more importantly (0-3) in conference play which makes these games even more important. Two wins this weekend would give the Lakers six points in the standings and would greatly improve their chances of getting one of the six spots in the SUNYAC championship tournament later this month.
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Team Spotlight: Oswego State Men’s Soccer
OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego State Men’s Soccer team, a squad surrounded by a lengthy but rather disappointing history in terms of success, has recently been on the upswing the past couple of years. This due to the arrival of Head Coach Dan Kane, who took over the Lakers heading into the 2017 season. A program that has transferred from being a doormat for the SUNYAC to a championship hopeful which showed just a year ago. The 9-7-2 team lost to SUNY Cortland in penalty kicks, a once nationally ranked team, in the opening round of the SUNYAC tournament. The squad’s first appearance in the bracket since 2014 was another step in the right direction for the Lakers.
The obvious common problem teams face across the nation comes down to retention of progress gained over the course of more than one season. For Kane’s Lakers, the group realized quickly what was expected of them before heading home last semester.
“The team realized that we got to make some advances individually and collectively,” Kane stated, “if we are going to sustain our kind of progression from the last few years.”
Of course, the return to Oswego has been much different for a team that usually starts games before the start of September. Kane spoke on the lack of team practices has made team cohesion difficult, something the head coach wished the group had similar to previous years. However, Kane found a positive in the situation as the coach touched on how this difference gave him the ability to work on a different subject, the incoming Class of 2024.
“We are way further along in terms of getting to know them as people because we have been having so many calls with them.” Kane said, “I know our freshman a lot better than I normally would which I am really thankful for.”
The push to the potential spring season gives the new members of the squad an opportunity to gain maturity before their first steps onto the Laker Turf. Kane explained the “grind of college and of the season catches up” and often saw regression through the course of a season from his first-year athletes because of this. Coach continued about his envy towards spring sports due to this trend, that may now be able to be tapped into due to this uncommon season.
Another plus for these Lakers is the return of the backline and starting goaltender Brian Terra. The defensive core that held conference opponents to an average of less than a goal last season will continue to be the backbone for the Lakers success. A defensive strategy that Kane plans to build on to improve the game at the other end of the pitch.
“It is going to look different.” Kane expressed, “[We] are going to play a bit differently but the more you can rely on your defense to win individual battles, the more freedom it gives our attacking players to take some chances and be creative and get more numbers forward.”
For now, the Lakers will have to remain on the sidelines before kicking off their season after the end of the calendar year. A group that got a taste of soccer together one week ago at their first team practice on the Laker Turf. The torrential downpour of rain did not take off the smiles that were found on every student athlete.
“We were in small pods.” Kane continued, “the energy and the positivity at practice was amazing. They were loving it.”
However, the Lakers will not be able to continue preparation for the 2021 season until next semester after the postponement of Athletics due to the recent spike of COVID-19. This added set pack could put the group at a disadvantage compared to other SUNY institutions across the conference, but Kane is taking a different look at the situation.
“To all the teams that are practicing, I wish them well.” Kane stated, “we hope to be back there soon in January, and we will make the most of the time we are given. We are not going to be the team that has excuses like that.”
For this team, the optimism shines from the head of the program. The Lakers seem to be in good hands heading into the most unusual season in sports history. Kane acknowledged the adversity that lies in front of the group but told his athletes to stay committed to the process.
“This is no question a time of adversity, so what kind of growth can we have in these moments and the second thing is even though we are not able to be together in a normal sense, we still have to be for each other.” Kane continued, “Those are kind of the two biggest messages, stay present and be there for each other. When the referee does blow that first whistle and lets us play, we will be ready for that moment.”
Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics
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Oswego State women’s hockey falls in overtime to Cortland
OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State women’s hockey team had a tough matchup Tuesday night, a NEWHL semi-final matchup versus the Cortland Red Dragons in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The teams had met three times in the regular season with Oswego taking two of the three, but at the end of all three matchups the teams were separated by only one goal. Tuesday nights contest ended no different. The first period was all Cortland. The Red Dragons looked like the more dominant team throughout the entire period and they outshot the Lakers 10-3. Cortland had the only power play of the period, they got off four shots, but Oswego killed it. The first period ended with both teams getting penalties, and four-on-four hockey ensued that carried over to the start off the second period, but again no goals were scored. Oswego fought back in the second period, outshooting Cortland 13-2. Oswego got the second power play of the game, but the Cortland penalty-kill unit came out on top. The third frame was all Lakers again, beating Cortland in shots on goal 13-4, and getting a lot of their best looks at goal in the entire game. Cortland got their second power play of the game in the final period of regulation, but Oswego out shot them 1-0 in those two minutes. The third period ended scoreless, and the teams headed to OT. Cortland got their third and final power play of the game in OT, but Oswego kept a perfect record on the penalty kill in the game. Cortland would keep the puck in their own offensive zone after the power play though. A shot from the point by Cortland’s Dany Donegan bounced through traffic and found the netting behind Oswego goalie Joanna Hiebert for the game winner, 1-0. Hiebert had 21 saves in the game and finished her season with a 12-4-1 record this season. Cortland goalie Molly Goergen had thirty saves on the night. Oswego’s Ashlynn McGrath led the team with six shots. Morgan Shines was 9-13 in the face-off circle.
Cortland advances to take on Plattsburgh in the NEWHL final game. Oswego finishes their season 16-8-1 overall, 13-4-1 in conference. It was the final game in the green-and-gold for seniors Chyne Kennedy, Philomena Teggart, and Aislinn McAleer. Kennedy was Oswego’s third highest point getter with 18 this season, Teggart wore the captains badge this season and ended third on the team in assists with 11. McAleer was one of only seven players to play all 25 games this season.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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Lakers Sweep Hawks To Kick Off SUNYAC Play
OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State Lakers brought out the brooms on Friday, as they swept the New Paltz Hawks in a quick three sets.
The Lakers made their presence felt early on with a commanding win in the opening set. The team quickly took a 12-6 lead, spearheaded by strong individual showings from Gigi Basile and Priscilla McReynolds that mobilized the attack. The Hawks urgently tried to make a comeback, but the attempt was ultimately futile as the Lakers received significant assistance on the defensive end from CJ Eidem, who racked up seven digs to help her home-squad secure an authoritative 25-17 victory, and a 1-0 lead.
The Lakers found a crease in-between a more balanced second set, and were able to come away with a tight 25-19 victory. The momentum alternated between both squads at a rapid rate, but a well-structured offensive gameplan from the Lakers, headed by Kalley Vugveteen and Mya Bush, allowed them to get into a synchronized groove. Moreover, Eidem continued to be a neutralizer on the defensive end with four digs, while McReynolds also aided in that department, displaying her effective two-way skills.
The Lakers lost not a step in the final set, as Jon Stenman coached his group to a game-clinching 25-17 win in the final set. The offense fronted a calculated showing to push the Lakers out to an early 11-1 lead, and they never looked back from there. It was Grace Gdovin who continued to make an impact in all facets of the game, with a team-high four kills, while the Hawks continued to commit unfortunate errors – a factor that would be their main shortcoming. McReynolds rounded out the offense, while Bush continued to operate as an immense beneficiary for the Lakers, with five assists in the set, for a mark of 20 on the day.
The Lakers stay home for tomorrow’s outing, as they face off against SUNYAC foe Oneonta at 1 p.m.
