-
Oswego State women’s basketball soar past Hawks in non-conference play
OSWEGO N.Y. — It was another day at the office for the Oswego State women’s basketball team. Last night, the Lakers hosted the Hilbert College Hawks in a non conference matchup. This game took place in the Max Ziel Gymnasium and it did not disappoint. The Lakers came out and handled business, winning with a final score of 72-58 as the team improves to 1-1 this season. The leading scorers for Oswego were freshman Diamond Pickett with fourteen, senior Danielle Caivana with fourteen, and sophomore Chastin Giles with eleven. The contest was close at the half with the Lakers leading only by four. The third quarter is where things took a turn for Hilbert as they only managed to drop five points, leading to the Lakers impressive victory. With this win the Lakers pick up momentum heading into their next matchup as they take on the SUNY-Delhi Broncos this Tuesday at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Tip-Off is at 5:30 p.m. on WTOP 10!
Image Provided by Oswego State Athletics
-
Team Spotlight: Oswego State Field Hockey
OSWEGO, NY — As the unusual fall semester continues into the month of October, the Oswego State Field Hockey team would be in the heat of a competitive battle in the SUNYAC conference right about now. The 4-12-0 Lakers finished the 2019 season sixth in the conference standings, missing the playoff bracket. The group lost one senior at the end of the 2019 campaign, midfielder Riley Mallett. Head Coach Heather Moore touched on the impact the Suffern native made to the team.
“[Riley was] a leader by example, always the hardest worker on the field.” Moore said.
With much of the team returning for their 2021 season, Moore feels that the team will be able to pick up the leadership around the field. Moore expects the defensive core, backed by sophomore netminder Erica Scheblein to develop heading into this unusual season.
“Sometimes we ended up being a little too individualistic and not playing as much as a unit.” Moore continued, “with a higher level of communication and some confidence, they will become a stronger unit.”
The Lakers had a goal against average of 3.31 in conference play last season, which ranked them 6th among their competitors. On the other end of the turf, the team average 1.7 goals per game, a stat led by freshman Annie O’Neill. With the attacking front returning as well, Moore focused on bringing the team back to the fundamentals after the end of last season.
“Focusing on overall player development and improvement. Rebuilding our skills and our game sense, like our Field Hockey IQ.” Moore added, “retooling some things and getting our returners on the same page and having them work towards the same goals.”
The team was heading in that direction before the suspension of Athletics due to the concern of COVID-19 on the SUNY Oswego campus. Before this occurrence, the team was able to participate in three team practices in two individual pods. Although the group was happy to be back on the field together, Moore brought up the difficulty with the system.
“The hardest part was going back and forth from each pod and being able to give the right feedback at the right time,” Moore stated.
With no team activities now till the beginning of their season, the group will have to wait to take make their mark in the 2021 season. The Lakers will welcome five first year students onto their roster when the time comes. The group contains five individuals that play a range of positions.
“I have only seen them practice three times.” Moore further states, “but from what I can tell, they are going to be little sparks all across the field.”
These additions to the group will hopefully set the Lakers over the top once the calendar flips to 2021. The setback is something Moore is seeing the positives in, as the coach notices the break in the common rush of a season.
“It’s also nice to have a break and reflect about what worked, what did not work, and what do I see moving forward.” Moore said, “how I see them impacting in the future.”
As Moore and the rest of the coaching staff led their team into the rest of this semester, the coach’s message was simple and clear.
“It’s been a good lesson to all of us to remain flexible and adoptable. Using the information as it comes and managing your reactions.” Moore finished with, “I know things are crazy and keep changing, and it’s okay.”
Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics
-
Oswego State Baseball Splits at Brockport
Brockport, NY — The Oswego State Baseball team kicked off their 2021 season with a double header split against SUNY Brockport Saturday afternoon. Oswego was able to put the Brockport team away in the first game with a 7-2 victory but the Golden Eagles would out run the Lakers team in the second game with a 14-2 win. This was the first SUNYAC double header for the Lakers as the team moves to 1-1 to start the season.
Game number one began with Oswego scoring first as Brendon Frank stole second base and would make it home on a single hit from Paul Tammaro. Tammaro would then be driven home off a hit from Ryan Enos which would be followed up with a Ryan Weiss hit that would put Oswego ahead 3-0 in the third inning. The Golden Eagles would cut the score down in the next two innings as the Lakers led now 3-2 heading into the seventh inning. In the eighth, Myles Felton would score after Tammaro added another hit to his totals in the contest. Oswego would add insurance runs in the ninth inning to gain their first win of the season. Kieran Finnegan and Anthony Van Fossen split the pitching duties as the pitchers combined for eight strikeouts and only allowed one run each.
The second game in the double header would have a completely different story as the Golden Eagles dropped double digits on the Lakers squad. Oswego would score a solo homerun off the bat of Jacob Levine which opened up the scoring in this seven inning contest. However, Brockport would score in the bottom of the inning to take over the lead heading into the second inning. The Golden Eagles would add to their total in the third inning with six more runs. Frank Levanti would score the second run of the contest for Oswego but that would not be enough as Brockport would take game two. Ronald Loomis would take the loss on the mound giving up six hits and striking out one player.
Oswego holds second place in the SUNYAC West Division standings behind Brockport. Fredonia remains in third with an 0-2 conference record. The top team in each division will advance to the SUNYAC Championships along with two more teams that will be decided based on conference record. Oswego continues their 2021 season on the road against New Paltz for another SUNYAC double header. The Lakers travel to face the Hawks on Tuesday, April 6th, with games scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. as Oswego looks to bounce back from the second game in Brockport. Oswego team returns home for a non-conference double header on Thursday, April 8th, at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. against Alfred State College. WTOP 10 will have continued coverage of the Oswego Baseball team as the group continues their 2021 season.
