On a day when the Oswego State women’s field hockey team honored its seniors, rain and SUNY Cortland would spoil the festivities, as the Red Dragons defeated the Lakers, 3-1, Friday at Laker Field.
Before the game, the Lakers’ faithful honored their seniors: forward Kelly Collins, midfielder Jackie Cook, goalie Julie Janusz, forward Katie Mazuchowski, midfielder Jordan McGuire and forward Kelsey Moran for their commitment, effort and contributions to the field hockey team.
The Red Dragons came into the contest undefeated in SUNYAC play, and from the get-go it seemed as if they would remain that way. Cortland sophomore midfielder Karly Vdoviak scored a goal in the first minute and junior forward Danielle Groneman scored twice in the first half to give the Red Dragons (10-4, 6-0 SUNYAC) a commanding 3-0 lead going into the break.
After re-grouping during halftime the Lakers came out much more determined at the beginning of the second half as they began to pursue and push the ball up field. They also controlled possession for a majority of the second period and came close to scoring multiple goals off penalty corners. Collins finally put the Lakers on the board, as she scored her first career goal against Cortland early on in the second period. The goal was also her ninth of the season.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the team’s inability to finish near the net resulted in the Red Dragons’ ninth win of the season and their conference-leading fifth victory.
“It wasn’t that we played bad in the first half, they were just able to find a way to get the ball in the net, throughout the second half we really did a solid job,” head coach Brandi Lusk said.
Lusk also said the outgoing senior class’ contributions throughout the years cannot be underscored.
“All the seniors played a huge role on this team,” Lusk said. “They will definitely all be missed and I hope our younger players can learn from them for future years to come.”
With the loss, Oswego State drops to 6-10 on the season and 1-4 in SUNYAC play. The Lakers will play their final home game of the season against Nazareth College on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m.
