After a 9-7-2 season that ended in the SUNYAC quarterfinals to SUNY Cortland, the Oswego State men’s soccer team looks to rekindle their success in 2021.  All-SUNYAC returners, such as graduate student goalie Brian Terra and senior defender Caleb Munski, veteran leadership runs deep in the green and gold.

As the pride of Liverpool, New York, Munski has always been in a position of leadership for the team he plays for. Whether at Liverpool High School or his club team, Syracuse FC, Munski knows being a captain means a lot to his team, but it mandates a different responsibility as well.

“It is definitely a privilege to be given the title but I think it is just an armband when it comes down to it,” Munski said. “It is nice to be recognized as a captain but when speaking with the other captains, we look upon each other for leadership. From the freshman to the upperclassmen, we are all equals.”

Munski scored his first collegiate goal against Hamilton College in the 3-2 overtime loss on Wednesday, Sept. 8 and despite that, he is looking forward to continuing his success in the coming weeks. 

This season has a slightly deeper meaning for the center back being that this is his last season and the fact that he was part of head coach Dan Kane’s first recruiting class at Oswego State.

“The hunger was there as a freshman,” Munski said. “The hunger was there as a sophomore. Junior year was really strange but now that it is potentially [my] last year on the team, it is [our] time. It is now or never.”

Munski sets the tone for the energy and attitude that Kane wants his athletes to possess. As a captain, it is important to not only uphold the team values and leadership qualities, but it is equally important to teach them to the lowerclassmen. 

“Your most talented players are the guys that are working the hardest and doing the right things on and off the field,” Kane said. “That really helps with team culture. We have a younger team and are counting on a lot of new players to play a lot of minutes and having [Munski] to set an example, we are very fortunate.”

Kane went on to sing more praises of his senior captain as far as his vision impacting the game on the backline. 

“He reads the game so well,” Kane said. “It seems like once a game he saves the ball off the goal line and that is like scoring a goal. He tackles, he organizes us, he is so disciplined and we are so fortunate to have a player like him.”

Just six games into the season, the Lakers have had a bit of a shaky start, allowing 1.17 goals per game and on the flip side scoring 1.50. But, that will not stop Kane and the team from turning things around and becoming a more consistent team.

In the coming weeks, Oswego State will be faced with five straight away contests which will test the talent and congruity of the team. But with one non-conference game remaining, the goal is progressing to a higher level of play before they enter SUNYAC competition.

“I think our returning guys have done really well,” Kane said. “[They] have stepped up as well. We have had some inconsistent performances but in my mind we have only had one really bad game where the other team [Rochester Institution of Technology] beat us around that we should not have.” 

That game was last weekend’s contest against Rochester Institute of Technology. The Tigers controlled most of the game’s pace until they took the rug out from under the Lakers scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to secure a win. Besides that game, which remains on the back burner, Kane believes this team is destined for something great.

“Other than that we are on a journey, we all know we are going to have a great year at the end of the year and it is just a matter of learning as much as we can during these non conference games and continuing to make progress.”

After the draw against Ithaca College on Tuesday night, this moves Kane, Munski and the Lakers to 1-2-3 on the blossoming 2021 season. With a long road trip to Dallas, Pennsylvania eyeing down Misericordia University on Saturday afternoon, the Lakers look to pause and bounce back.

Lexi Fragapane | The Oswegonian