On Tuesday, April 30, the Oswego State Lakers extended their winning streak to six games and advanced to the SUNYAC semifinals with a 17-15 victory over the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons.
Unlike the last game against SUNY Oneonta, this one was very defensive early on. About midway through the first half, Oswego State’s head coach, Britt Howard, took a timeout with her team down 4-2. In the following 10 minutes, the Lakers rattled off three consecutive goals to take the lead. From that point on, Oswego State was fully back in the game as its biggest deficit was one goal, a deficit that would last for less than three minutes. For Oswego State, its regular season game against SUNY Oneonta proved to be very beneficial. The Lakers defeated the Red Dragons 14-13 back on April 20 in overtime. The team’s resilience stood out as they were able to battle back and tie the game with 2:06 remaining. Early in the game, the team struggled with poor play.
“We were a little sloppy here and there, just because of the jitters from senior day,” Howard said. “[We need to be] patient and kind of lead the way by taking control of the clock.”
Oswego State was able to control the clock, like Howard alluded to, as it was able to lead in the shot department during the first round of the SUNYAC postseason. The Lakers outshot SUNY Oneonta 31-29. One of the biggest contributors for the Lakers was Elianna Sanchez, the junior goaltender. In the regular season matchup, she failed to make a save until late in the second half. On the other hand, she made seven crucial saves to lead the Lakers to the SUNYAC semifinals. Howard has noticed Sanchez’s better play throughout the six-game winning streak, as it has been a part of the bigger improvements coming from the defensive end.
“We game plan differently for every game … which is key in the defensive end,” Howard said. “But Ellie’s been playing well.”
The Lakers as a whole have improved over the course of the season as three of their four losses came in the first half of the season. Oswego State is playing some of its best lacrosse, as it has gelled well as of late. Senior midfielder Toni Laneve echoed these sentiments as she attributes the winning streak to the chemistry of the team.
“The team atmosphere and how close we are [has been crucial],” Laneve said. “We are always hanging out after practice, before practice, on the weekends. Us being so close off the field makes us even more close on the field.”
With so many new players on the roster, it makes sense as to why it took time for this team to hit its stride. Entering the season, the Lakers had 12 new faces, making up 44% of the 27-women roster. Many of these new players have made significant contributions to the roster, including Molly Beck, who is fourth on the team in points. Senior midfielder Brigid Regin recognized the better play as of late since the players began to develop better chemistry on the field.
“We know how to work off each other better now,” Regin said. “In the beginning of the season, we had so many new people transfer from OCC. We finally got it down, how to work together and what we were comfortable with and confident with.”
Of the 12 new players, seven played for Onondaga Community College last season, where the Lazers participated in the NJCAA National Tournament. Combining this with the SUNYAC playoff experience returning Lakers have from last season, Oswego State has a glut of experience. This experience is crucial for a team that needs to lead seven underclassmen who may not be as familiar with the postseason as the others on the team. Entering the postseason this time around, Regin understands the importance of her role as a leader.
“I bring [the underclassmen] to the side if they look nervous, [and] I just tell them to calm down,” Regin said. “I understand you’re nervous but just play your game because you are better than that.”
While playoff games can be perceived as just another game, to a certain extent, they are different. The intensity of the postseason slows the game down as well as the stouter defensive play. This typically results in fewer shots on goal and goals tend to come at a premium. It is harder to score, but teams have to remain confident in their offensive abilities.
“We have to know that the defense is going to be up on us,” Regin said. “But we have to be able to keep our composure, pass the ball, make the correct passes and take our time with everything.”
Despite the ups and downs of the season, the Lakers are right where they want to be. They have accomplished most of their goals from the start of the season, including reaching the playoffs and have improved consistently.
“We’ve grown every game,” Howard said. “It is a totally different team from the beginning of the season to now … our whole team atmosphere is different when it comes to the sideline as well as on the field play.”
Photo by Stephen Novak | The Oswegonian
