The Oswego State’s men’s soccer season came to a disappointing end Saturday afternoon after its tie game against SUNY Geneseo.

“I think we just couldn’t get that one balance we needed,” senior captain Thomas Osborn said. “We just kind of got unlucky in a couple opportunities. We didn’t finish our chances, and it came down to it. I think we played well throughout the whole game, and it was just that one extra balance that didn’t go our way.”

In the two games leading up to the Lakers’ last game, they beat SUNY Fredonia and The College at Brockport. In the game against The College at Brockport, they were tied until the game-winning goal that came from junior midfielder Anthony Paris.

“It definitely felt good giving Brockport their first SUNYAC loss,” Paris said. “But it didn’t really mean much, seeing that we lost Saturday.”

With only needing one point to make it to SUNYAC playoffs, the Lakers could not find the point they needed on Saturday.

“We knew going into the game that we needed to win,” said Dan Kane, Oswego State men’s soccer head coach. “We were pushing a lot of numbers forward and created some good opportunities early in the game. The more the game went along, the more we kind of had to throw numbers forward and left ourselves open and exposed.”

The feelings are mixed with the season-ending game, seeing that Oswego State felt it was playing its best soccer of the year, according to Kane.

“We would’ve loved to be in the playoffs, and we really felt like that any team we would have played in the playoffs, we would’ve liked the matchup,” Kane said. “So, there’s definitely disappointment. There’s also optimism in knowing that we can do it.”

Osborn credited the progress of the Oswego State program to his head coach, Kane.

“The program is definitely looking better,” Osborn said. “He’s definitely turned guys into true competitors, and he’s bringing guys in that are going to win and want to win. I think he’s just turned the program in the right direction.”

The team ended its season with a conference record of 3-5-1, a significant change from last season’s conference record of 1-8-0.

For the seniors of the team, this was an emotional end to their season, considering it is the last time they will play for Oswego State.

“It was hard. I was excited because it was a good four years, but I was definitely sad because I’m going to miss being around the guys every day,” Osborn said. “We are literally with them every day, two to three hours. I’m still going to see them, but it’s not going to be the same. You’re not hanging out with everyone as much, but I think that’ll definitely be the hardest part of it.”

Kane has a lot of hope moving forward next season, but he still felt for his senior class.

“When it ends, it ends quickly,” Kane said. “But, I did say to the seniors that we went from kind of a team just hoping to be able to make the playoffs to believing that we could be in the playoffs.”

With only two seasons with the Lakers’, Kane has left his impression on the team, just as the team and the seniors have left an impression on him.

“This senior class specifically has given us a reason to believe moving forward,” Kane said. “They showed us how hard you have to work to be successful, and we’re definitely going to miss them a tremendous amount. But they’ve also given us the gift of knowing that we can do it.”

Osborn said that the goal of Oswego State next season should be playoffs first.

“We definitely could have made it,” Osborn said. “So, that’s got to be their goal next year and, I think they absolutely can do it.”

With nine seniors leaving the team,  Kane has been on the road already searching for new players to recruit.

“Every one of those seniors provided something really special to the program, and it’s impossible to fill those voids exactly with recruits,” Kane said. “So, we’ll try to bring the best people and the best player to the program.”

More specifically, Kane is looking for players who share the same qualities that his team currently has.

“We definitely need some two-way central midfielders and some defenders,” Kane said. “But, probably more than that, we just want people that have the desire and competitiveness that’s required to be successful in the SUNYAC.”

Kane said that, after every game and season, he takes a moment to reflect and uses this as motivation to see how the team can do better.

“From after the first season, I get a lot of self-reflection on how to be better on the second day of the SUNYAC. I thought we made some significant strides in that,” Kane said. “But that took a lot of self-reflection. I have a lot of time in the car coming up, and I’ll be doing a lot of self-reflection in terms of what does our program need to move forward and how can we do that.”

Graphic by Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian