It was a senior from SUNY Fredonia who netted the game’s only goal in overtime to spoil Senior Day for the Lakers, 1-0, in a crucial game with playoff implications.

Fredonia senior Lauren Heilweil ran the length of the field past four Laker defenders and placed the ball into the lower left corner of the net to hand Oswego State it’s third conference loss of the season.

The game carried important post-season implications for the Lakers. With the loss to Fredonia, Oswego State falls to the seventh spot in the SUNYAC, placing them on the outside looking in to the conference tournament.

Now with only four games left, the Lakers must win on the road, something they have only accomplished once in five games this year. It doesn’t help that they must face conference powerhouses SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Brockport, who are first and second in the conference respectively, on their four-game road trip.

The Lakers best offensive chance came in the first half, set up by the dynamic foot of freshman forward Michelle Bateman. Bateman sent a through ball between two Blue Devil defenders to forward Tricia Sullivan, who cut to her right to free some space and fired a shot from just inside the 18-yard box that traveled a foot over the top left corner of the net. The shot came within six minutes of halftime, and was the best chance on goal for either team in the first half.

Bateman continued to set up her teammates in the second half. In the 70th minute, she sent a through ball to sophomore forward Rachel Allen to create a one-on-one opportunity in front of the Fredonia net. But Allen’s shot went directly into the gut of goalkeeper Meaghan Meszaros.

Oswego State head coach Brian McGrane said he thought the team played well, but missed opportunities doomed them, losing a pivotal SUNYAC matchup.

"I think we played extremely well; soccer’s a game of opportunities and we had five or six opportunities," McGrane said. "They had one, and unfortunately, they finished theirs and we didn’t [finish ours]."

The offensive chances that Oswego State had throughout the game were squandered. The Laker shots on goal ended up in the gut of the Fredonia goalkeeper for easy saves. The Lakers were outshot by a narrow margin, 13-11, but senior goalie Holly Lyndaker matched Fredonia’s saves with six for the game.

Oswego State will go on the road for the crucial four game road trip to finish out the regular season. The road trip has the ability to make or break the season, as the Lakers eye the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. McGrane said the team is focused and ready to take the final spot in the SUNYAC tournament.

"The nice thing is we’re not out of the race for the conference tournament," McGrane said. "We’re not done, but we have to get the kinks out."