It was a heartbreaking end to the Oswego State men’s soccer teams 2019 campaign. Last Saturday, the Lakers competed in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs at SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons struck toward the end of regulation, notching a goal at the 82:45 mark. With eight minutes remaining, Oswego State trailed 1-0. But just over two minutes later, at 85:51 on the clock, Omar Espinoza knocked in a rocket free kick to the upper left corner of the goal to tie the game at one.

“We’ve had that type of fight and mentality all year long, where we just felt like we would find a way,” head coach Dan Kane said. “To go down 1-0 against Cortland, a really good team, with eight minutes left in the game, it would’ve been easy to just pack it up. But I looked in our guys’ eyes and had a sense they were going to find the equalizer.”

Then, with just eight seconds remaining in regulation, SUNY Cortland captain Miguel Tunas was tagged with a red card, giving the Lakers a man advantage for overtime. In the two overtime periods, Oswego State kept up the pressure with seven shots in each overtime period. Unfortunately for the Lakers, none would find the back of the net. The game would eventually go into a penalty kick shootout, with the Red Dragons winning 6-5 in eight rounds and advancing to the SUNYAC semifinals.

“I’ve been a head coach for 12 years and that’s the first penalty shootout I’ve ever been in,” Kane said. “Just to go in that environment and compete our tails off, I’m just really proud of the guys. Everyone wanted another 90 minutes, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Although it was not the outcome the Lakers wanted, the team felt it left everything out on the pitch.

“It was definitely one of the crazier games I’ve played in my career,” senior captain Anthony Paris said. “For it to be my last game, it was good knowing we left everything out there and played our hearts out.”

For the seniors, it was one last ride they will never forget. The program had been without a winning record since 2006 and had not made the SUNYAC playoffs since 2014. The Lakers 9-7-2 overall record and 4-4-1 conference record ended both streaks. 

“[The seniors] have given us so much,” Kane said. “We’re not going to ever be able to thank them enough for what they did. I’m so glad they got into the playoffs, and they can be proud of their performance on Saturday.”

Oswego State graduates six seniors this year, including captains Paris and Jack Van Pelt. The team also loses top goal scorer Caleb Asamoah, who tallied eight goals in 2019. Santiago Soto, Jacob Munski and Logan Sperano round out the Lakers’ losses. 

“There’s a lot I’m going to miss,” Paris said. “It hasn’t all really hit me. I’m going to miss the team comradery, the day in and day out stuff. Being around the team is awesome, and I’m going to miss that.”

The senior class passes the torch to a talented group of young players, including a freshman class that produced 27 points this season and a sophomore class that provided 12 points. The Lakers also return talented goaltender Brian Terra, who will be a senior in 2020. 

“We got experience early, which is going to help as we move on with our careers here,” freshman Steven Rojas said. “It was good to know coach [Kane] believed in us and believed in this freshman class.”

The second passing of the torch goes from Asamoah to Rojas. Asamoah led the team with 18 points, while Rojas was second on the team with 11. Their chemistry on the field was apparent, finding each other for goals on countless occasions.

“[Caleb’s] a great teammate,” Rojas said. “He helped me out with scoring, and he was always in the right place at the right time. It was good to have a senior show me you can work hard and the goals will come.”

That hard work and resilience was something Kane has preached during his first three seasons with the team. Oswego State has steadily improved each year with Kane at the helm. Last season, it was a disappointing end, finishing just one point out of the SUNYAC playoffs. This year, the Lakers were just a couple breaks away from advancing to the SUNYAC semifinals.

“We talked about the importance of beating Brockport last year and that showed we can compete with anybody,” Kane said. “This year, we took a big step playing Cortland scoreless and going to double overtime with Oneonta. Just talking with the younger guys, they’re already so hungry and eager to get going for next year.”

The seniors on the 2019 roster will be missed. But the team knows the program is trending in the right direction. After being in the basement of the SUNYAC for so many seasons, the Lakers seem primed to compete for SUNYAC titles for years to come.

“The program is in really good hands,” Paris said. “It’s going in the right direction and these next three or four years should be good times for Oswego State men’s soccer.”

Photo by William Rogers | The Oswegonian