OSWEGO, NY — Former Oswego State Men’s Hockey goaltender David Richer has signed a professional contract with the Les Éléphants de Chambéry of the FFHG Division 2. The FFHG features four separate leagues with a regulation structure similar to Premier League Soccer. At the time the team’s season got canceled due to COVID-19, the group was getting set to play in the regulation tournament to figure out if the team would play in Division I next year. The team finished second in their division this year with 41 points.
Richer played 17 games for the Lakers this season in his senior year. The netminder finished with six shutouts to rank himself first in the SUNYAC conference. His goals against average was 2.20 and he finished with a save percentage of .911. He played three seasons with the Lakers and played in a total of 58 games for Oswego over the course of his career. Richer joins four other seniors to sign professional contracts after their senior seasons this year.
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Oswego State Women’s Lacrosse Falls to SUNY Brockport
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego Women’s Lacrosse team lost their third straight game on Saturday, falling to the Brockport Golden Eagles 22-9. This loss drops the Lakers to 3-3 on the season and 2-2 in SUNYAC play. However, Oswego remains in 3rd place in the West division, ahead of SUNY Fredonia (1-4) and Buffalo State (0-5). With four conference games left before the end of the regular season, the Lakers are still in the hunt for a SUNYAC Championship spot.
The Lakers were competitive early on, leading the Golden Eagles 2-1 after quick goals from Logan Castiglione and Kamryn Sherman. But that would be the only lead Oswego would have all game as Brockport went on a 7-goal run midway through the first half and never looked back. The Golden Eagles out-shot the Lakers 36 to 22, with 26 shots being on goal. What really hurt the Lakers chances in the Saturday’s matchup were their defensive clears. Oswego had only 6 successful clears and continued to give Brockport second chance shots on goal. Seven Lakers scored in the matchup, including Isabella Lembo (2), Kamryn Sherman (2), Sela Wiley (1), and Shae McConnell (1). Logan Castiglione also added 1 goal and 2 assists. As for Brockport, they were lead by leading scorer, Heather Conklin, who totaled 6 goals and 2 assists. After starting the season 3-0, Oswego will now enter Monday’s game versus Buffalo State looking to end a 3-game losing streak. The Lakers previously defeated the Bengals 14-6 on April 10th. The women’s lacrosse team will need a win to stay alive in the playoff race. The opening face off is set for 4:00 PM at Laker Turf Stadium. WTOP 10 will be at the field broadcasting all the action.
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Oswego State Women’s Lacrosse team defeats Fredonia
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego State Women’s Lacrosse team won their first SUNYAC game of the 2021 season, defeating SUNY Fredonia 16-10. It wasn’t just the Women’s Lacrosse team’s home opener, but the first Oswego home game in over 395 days. The Lakers defended home field exceptionally well as they lead for a majority of the game and never let the Blue Devils run their offensive systems smoothly.
Fredonia’s Madeline Haney started off strong, scoring the games first goal five minutes into regulation. However, that was the only lead Fredonia would have all game as the Lakers went on to score the next 5 goals, including back-to-back goals from freshman midfielder Shae McConnell. Oswego played tremendous defense all game, especially in the first half, giving up only 3 goals. The Blue Devils were more efficient in the second half, however they weren’t able to generate enough offense to keep up with the Lakers. Sophomore midfielder, Sela Wiley, played phenomenal once again, totaling 5 goals and 2 assists in the Oswego victory. Kamryn Sherman and Shae McConnell each had 4 goals apiece, while Isabella Lembo (2) and Logan Castiglione (1) also scored. Junior goalkeeper, Delaney Kendrick, held the Blue Devil offense in check as she totaled 5 saves and cleared the ball effectively all game. The Oswego Women’s Lacrosse team will have the opportunity to continue their 2021 season undefeated when they take on SUNY Geneseo on Wednesday, April 10th, at 4 PM.
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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
