The Oswego State men’s soccer team finds itself in a position it has not been in since 2014. This Saturday, Nov. 2, the Lakers head to SUNY Cortland for the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs. The last time Oswego State was in a SUNYAC playoff game, it was a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at The College at Brockport. But this time around, it is an entirely new group of players led by a new head coach.
“We’re extremely grateful and we know we’ve earned the opportunity,” head coach Dan Kane said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, but we are also excited to be training and working hard for at least one more week together and hopefully, we can get even more time together.”
Kane took over the Oswego State program in 2017. The Lakers had not had a winning record since 2006 and were often in the basement of the SUNYAC. But in just three short years, through recruiting and an overall culture change, the Lakers find themselves back in a position to not only play in, but compete in the SUNYAC playoffs.
The last time the Lakers and Red Dragons faced off, it was a 1-1 draw at the Laker Turf Stadium. That draw snapped a 12-game losing streak Oswego State had suffered at the hands of men’s soccer powerhouse, SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons have not been as dominant as in years past but finished the season winning two out of their last three games, good enough to host round one of the playoffs. Kane knows it will take the same energy the Lakers have had all season to come out on top this weekend.
“We have to find some ways to win the ball higher up the field against them,” Kane said. “At times we took a little too much pressure from them. But, there were a lot of positives. Our work rate, intensity and focus were excellent and we were able to create some opportunities on the counter.”
For Oswego State, it starts with the seniors but goes all the way down to the freshmen. The Lakers have a good mix of scoring that starts with senior Caleb Asamoah, who tallied eight goals and two assists this season. But the team also relies on freshmen such as Steven Rojas and Kyle Scalzo, who combined for seven goals and five assists in their first season. It will have to be a collective effort this Saturday.
“No question, [it starts with] the seniors,” Kane said. “Jack Van Pelt and Anthony Paris in the center of our starting 11. Obviously, there’s Terra who’s a junior but has spent a lot of time back there. Caleb Munski is a sophomore and played in some big games. Asamoah and Rojas as well. But we’re counting on everybody. If one guy has an off day, we’re going to be in trouble.”
For those seniors, appearing in a SUNYAC playoff game is something they have worked and strived for in all four seasons with the Lakers.
“It feels good,” senior captain Anthony Paris said. “All our hard work as a team has paid off. It started in August and in the preseason, where we worked hard and showed everybody we were ready to come out and impress people this season.”
Kane and his senior leaders know what is at stake this Saturday. But even so, the team is still attacking each day with the same excitement and attitude that they have all season long.
“This week has just been fun so far,” Paris said. “We want to have fun and be thankful that we have another week to play being seniors. Nothing is really guaranteed so we aren’t taking anything for granted.”
Oswego State has struggled historically against the Red Dragons, especially on the road. The Lakers are 2-28-0 all-time at SUNY Cortland. In what promises to be a loud environment, Oswego State wants to stick to the gameplan while relying on each other.
“No. 1 is you’ve got to be yourself,” Kane said. “Don’t try to be more or any less than yourself. No. 2, anytime you go on the road in a big environment, you’ve got to support each other. Find ways to lift each other up and trust each other. No. 3 sounds silly but just run hard. In these big moments, it’s about doing the little things right.”
Adding more challenges to the game is the poor performances that Oswego State has had recently. The Lakers have lost three straight games, all on the road. The latest lost came 2-0 against Buffalo State. If Oswego State had won that game, it would have hosted the first round of SUNYACs. Instead, it finds itself on the road, where the Lakers have struggled this season. They are 3-5-0 on the road compared to a strong 5-1-1 home record.
“With every loss we’ve had this season, we try to learn something,” Paris said. “Coming off a three-game losing streak, we have to be stronger in some aspects. But we want to keep doing what we’ve done all year. Winning those 50-50 battles and doing the little things. That will get us back to what we did at the beginning of the season.”
Even with their recent struggles, the Lakers know they have earned the opportunity to compete at the highest level of conference play.
“The guys will be ready to play,” Kane said. “A lot of guys have wanted this opportunity for a long time and we finally got it. They’re going to make the most of it.”
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
