OSWEGO — On Senior Day, the Oswego State Men’s Soccer team picked up a win last Saturday as they defeated the Fredonia Blue Devils by a score of (2-1). Caleb Asamoah was able to score the go-ahead goal for the Lakers off the assist from Jack Van Pelt. The (5-7-1) Lakers travel to Brockport this Friday take on the Golden Eagles at 7 p.m.
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Men’s Hockey gets set for SUNYAC Finals
OSWEGO, NY — Oswego Men’s Hockey has been preparing for their road trip to Geneseo this past couple of days as the group is getting set for the SUNYAC finals against the Knights. The Lakers are coming off a win over their rivals Plattsburgh which ended with a score of 4-1. The group is currently on a 4 game win streak which comes from Oswego’s powerful offensive play along with a strong goaltender between the pipes. Steven Kozikoski has been stellar in net for the Lakers as the netminder has held a 1.79 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in the three games the goalie has played during this stretch. Captain Josh Zizek is currently on a 6 game point streak as the senior has nine points since their game against Geneseo. Max Novick, Travis Broughman, and Anthony Passero all received all-conference honors this past week heading into their matchup against Geneseo. This game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Geneseo.
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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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Women’s Basketball struggles continue as they lose third straight
OSWEGO, NY- It was a rough week for the Lakers as they lost both games this weekend falling to New Paltz 71-43 on Friday and then to Oneonta on Saturday 62-48.
In the first game against New Paltz it was all out domination for the Hawks against the Lakers. The Lakers started off on the wrong foot as they trailed 11-0 with 7:00 left in the first quarter. The Lakers finally got on the board with 6:43 left in the first quarter as Logan Castiglione would knock down a three to help the Lakers only trail 11-3. The Hawks continued to dominate the Lakers late into the first as they led 24-9 after quarter one. Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers with five points after quarter number one. The Lakers faired decent from both the field and for three-pointers as they went 40% from the field and 50% for three-pointers. The second quarter would be a repeat of the first quarter for the Lakers. The Hawks would score in the beginning minutes of the second quarter as Jenny Walton made a layup in the paint to go up 26-9. The Hawks would lead by a huge margin of 42-13 heading into halftime.
The second half was a continuation of the first half for the Lakers. The Hawks would extend their lead to 45-13 in the early minutes of the third. The Lakers could never close the gap at all throughout the rest of the game. Oswego completely struggled in the third quarter from the field only managing to shoot 14.29% but went 75% from the free-throw line. The Hawks led by a 39-point margin at the end of the third quarter 60-21. The fourth quarter saw the Hawks continue to extend their lead as Julia Sabatino scored her sixth point of the game to extend the Hawks lead to 62-21. The Hawks would dominate winning 71-43. Brianna Fitzgerald would lead the Hawks with 20 points and Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers with nine points. This marks the eighth time that the Lakers have lost by 15 points or more.
After a blowout loss to the Hawks, the Lakers were hoping to rebound against the Oneonta Red Dragons but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Olivia Dobrovsky got the Red Dragons on the board first to make it 2-0. Sydney Hoefs would score with 7:09 left in the first quarter to cut the Red Dragons lead to two. The score was tied at 13 at the end of the first quarter. Oswego faired well from the field at 50%. The second quarter started with Juliana Logana scoring to give the Lakers the early lead in the second quarter but it only took the Red Dragons just 25 seconds to tie the game at 15. The Lakers would extend their led to 31-23 with just 45 seconds left but the Red Dragons would knock down a three as the Lakers led 31-26 at half.
Giavanna Principio-White would extend the Lakers lead to seven at the beginning of the third. Oneonta found its way back in the game in the third as Meg Nardelli hit a three-pointer to draw within one, Nardelli would then score again less than a minute later to give the Red Dragons a 37-36 lead with 3:50 left. The Lakers found themselves trailing 46-41 at the end of the third quarter. The Lakers could get nothing going in the fourth quarter especially in the opening minutes of the fourth. The Red Dragons would continue to extend their lead in the fourth. Jenna Harclerode knocked down a three-pointer to put Oneonta up 53-43 over the Lakers as the Lakers found themselves in a tough position that they couldn’t get out of for the rest of the game. The Red Dragons took down the Lakers 62-48. Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers in points for both games with 20.
The Lakers look to get back in the win column as they host the Cortland Red Dragons on Friday, February 10th at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Oswego faces a Red Dragons team that is at the top of the SUNYAC this season with Cortland coming off a flat loss to New Platz 64-46. Oswego was absolutely dominated in the game they faced against Cortland back on January 13th 75-30. The Lakers have lost six straight to Cortland dating back to the 2018-2019 season. Their last win against Cortland came on January 12, 2019 winning 70-57.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS
