Just ahead of the start of the SUNYAC season, Oswego State men’s lacrosse is off to its best start since 2013 with a 6-1 record. In the past week, the Lakers dominated opponents, including a 17-6 victory over Keuka College on March 24 and a 17-5 victory over Utica College on Wednesday.
Their only loss this season came to nationally ranked Ithaca College in a tough 14-5 loss. It was no problem for head coach Drew Bezek and the Lakers to move on and self-evaluate against a solid program, which has showed in their five-game winning streak.
“I think the confidence piece is we’re shooting the ball well offensively,” Bezek said. “Defensively, I think is going to be what determines whether we win or lose games. When our defense is able to buckle down one goal in the first three quarters, that was big for us for sure.”
Lakers held a 14-1 lead after three quarters against Utica College before turning the game over to their reserves for the final quarter. The story going back to last season has continued to be a strong display of underclassmen performances. Sophomore Kyle Bacon leads the team total in points with 18 goals, but he has had plenty of help from the likes of sophomores Bobby Emerson, Caleb Alford and Tim Schof.
“Those guys are starting to learn and understand their roles within the offense and what we’re doing,” Bezek said. “I think they’re all progressing the way they should.”
Even incoming freshmen playing college lacrosse for the first time have been important staples to the team’s success, like starting goaltender Kevin O’Donnell and midfielder Robbie Connors. O’Donnell is 6-1 in front of the net and has .602 save percentage. Connors is second on the team in goals with 12 and in points with 16 total, playing a big role off the bench.
“Very, very helpful,” said Bezek on Connors’ subbing into the games. “[Connors] has done a good job. He’s probably one of our more gifted lacrosse players from an athletic and skill-set standpoint.”
The main storylines of the men’s lacrosse team the past few seasons is the stellar underclassmen. But, senior Tyler Nason has been one of the most underrated pieces to the Lakers squad so far with his team-high 10 assists.
“I think Tyler from a vision standpoint and a IQ standpoint is one our better guys,” Bezek said. “He’s played a ton of minutes in his four years, so he’s really understands college lacrosse and the speed of it. He’s done a nice job complimenting some our goal scorers with his ability to find people.”
Bezek came under the helm of Laker men’s lacrosse just a few months before the 2015 season. Luckily, it was good timing, with Laker Turf Stadium being completed the next summer and having prestigious facilities like the Romney Field House to entice the recruits that he has brought in to come play for Oswego State.
“I think having [Laker Turf Stadium] and especially the Romney Field house, which is better than what most schools in the country have, I don’t think it allows any recruits to look at Oswego [State] and say, ‘They don’t have something, and that’s the reason I’m going somewhere else,’” Bezek said. “So I think it’s been a huge blessing for us to have those facilities.”
Positivity has been an understatement so far for Bezek in his fourth season as the head coach. Winning has resulted in many factors of the way their culture has progressed and aligned.
“Practicing is something I’ve talked about since I got here three and a half years ago with the competitiveness in practice has really ramped up,” Bezek said “Our guys have really done a nice job of really pushing each other every day. Bringing that energy to practice has really allowed us to take a step in the right direction.“
A start like this is something new for the Bezek era, but not for the program in recent years. In 2012, men’s lacrosse went 7-0 to start the season and then struggled going 1-5 in SUNYAC play. The next season in 2013 after a 6-1 start, they had another disappointing conference showing with a 2-4 record and missing out on the postseason.
Those results may not reflect this year’s teams, but it reflects on how tough it gets during SUNYAC competition.
“One thing we mentioned [on Wednesday] after the game was we’re looking at this like our record is 0-0, starting back up almost as if this a second season,” Bezek said. “These are the games that really count that we’ve been working toward.”
Last season, in four SUNYAC losses, the Lakers lost three of them by just a single goal. Now Bezek believes this team is ready “to get over the hump,” and that all starts up this weekend.
Oswego State men’s lacrosse SUNYAC opener is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Laker Turf Stadium as they host The College at Brockport.
Austin Dearborn | The Oswegonian
