As the season winds down, the senior game for the Oswego State men’s soccer team approaches. What has been a disappointing season thus far will conclude Wednesday at home against Morrisville State. The Lakers hold a 4-11 overall record and a 1-7 conference record.

With the SUNYAC playoffs out of the picture, the Lakers are looking to fight for bragging rights Saturday at SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons should be a tough opponent since they hold a 13-2 overall record and a SUNYAC best 7-1 conference record.

“Staying focused has been difficult this season, especially with all the shortcomings and injuries we have faced,” captain Brian Torchia said. “It’s been hard, but we must continue to stay focused.”

Injuries have contributed to many of the problems the Lakers faced this season. Torchia has only been able to start in six of the 15 games so far, as he has dealt with a series of injuries.

Alongside the captain, other crucial members of the team have been dealing with injuries as well. Winger Bernard Osei was forced to miss a couple of crucial games along with Bradely Hartung who has been sidelined with a season-ending injury.

Jon Runge, the Lakers’ keeper in his senior year, has been battling a series of shoulder injuries throughout the season.

“Some days it feels great, others not so much,” Runge said.

The star goalie’s absence has cut deep into the Lakers’ success as he has proven to be one of the most vocal guys out on the pitch. On top of only playing in matches, he was not 100 percent in any of those games. He let up 16 goals and made 14 saves, comparing his senior year statistics to the last time he played his freshman year, when he started 9 matches, recording 48 saves while only letting up 21 goals.

As the final week approaches for the Lakers, the team continues to work hard in practice and take every game as if it is the last.

“Every day, two to three hour practices, we go as hard as we can as much as we can,” midfielder Harrison Rieber said.

The effort is there, but the team’s inability to pull it together on game day has hurt them tremendously. Every match, the team comes out slow and tends to let up an early goal, putting them at a deficit only minutes into the match. Unexplainably, that is what it takes for the Lakers to kick into gear.

Sometimes too much momentum moving forward can hurt a team on the counter attack, as that is where many of the Lakers’ opponents’ goals have come this season.

“As seniors we got two games left as Lakers and we look to leave it all out there for our teammates, families, friends and even ourselves as lifelong players,” Torchia said.

“No regrets” is the motto in the last two matches, since the Lakers look to finish 2016 on a positive note.

“For the future teams, work hard, play for your teammates, our school and most importantly put Oswego State back where we belong, the playoffs,” Torchia said.

Hard work has been a model set for future Laker teams and none of that seems to be changing as the end of the season approaches.

“Our seniors have been great leaders and role models since preseason and none of that is going to change moving forward,” head coach Bob Friske said.