The Oswego State women’s soccer team has stumbled in recent weeks following a 5-2 start to the season and a 2-1 start to SUNYAC play. 

As soon as the calendar flipped to October, the schedule turned hard for the Lakers and this has resulted in four consecutive losses. Including two shutouts during that stretch and two wide-margin losses to SUNY Geneseo (4-0) and Hamilton College (3-1) in the past week on Oct. 9. and Oct. 12, respectively. 

The biggest problem this month for the Lakers is their inability to find the back of the net despite a good amount of shots each game. In the four games, Oswego State has totaled 34 shots but has just found the back of the net once. This is a troubling stat for any team looking to break a losing streak. It is more devastating following a positive September in which the Lakers found the back of the net 15 times on 142 shots. A day and night comparison on offense. 

Senior midfielder Graisa Madden acknowledges that the team has not been able to finish off the plethora of opportunities that the last four games have provided. The shift in the season and momentum will come from finishing according to the mid-field general. 

“Our main thing is to be able to finish our chances when we get them like scoring goals and not making bad defensive mistakes,” Madden said. “We just need to stay focused and composed in our games and I think we can pull out a couple of wins and make it to the playoffs.”

Madden’s midfield teammate and fellow senior leader on the team, Liz Myers, has seen the same exact problem with finishing. She echoed what Madden said and went further in the emotion that this causes for the team and herself. 

“Right now, the biggest thing we are focusing on is capitalizing on the moments we have finishing-wise,” Myers said. “We have played very well but unfortunate goals have happened against us. We know that we are a good team. We know what we are capable of. It’s frustrating we are not getting the results we are anticipating. Our frustration gives us that drive to stay positive.”

Head coach Brian McGrane sees the outside looking in position of the team as an advantage at the moment going into the upcoming regular-season games. The team will have to keep a high level of competition to be successful in the upcoming fights according to their coach. 

“These next few games will all be very competitive,” McGrane said. “I expect our team to come out and play like we have been playing. The Cortland game has a little bit of a different meaning to it than the other schools just because of the proximity to one another. Hopefully, that brings a higher competitive edge for our game. We are all battling for playoff spots.” 

Two road trips remain in the season for the Lakers starting with Saturday’s Oct. 16 matchup at SUNY Cortland and then the following weekend at SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Oneonta.   

McGrane and the Lakers play in a tightly competitive SUNYAC conference in which they stand seventh out of ten. For them to stand a chance at the playoffs they will need to take advantage of their remaining games with SUNY Cortland placed at third, New Paltz at fifth and SUNY Oneonta at ninth. 

As far as the question of his team going out there and fighting in these remaining matchups, McGrane has a lot of confidence they will be revved up to compete. 

“When game times hit, the players who are playing are high energy, and those on the bench have been high energy and encouraging in every game,” McGrane said. “Their energy level has been fantastic and certainly not anything we have had an issue with.” 

McGrane, who has been with the Lakers since March 2007, understands that a couple of bad games do not define a team. What defines them is their energy and willingness to go out there and compete at a high level. This year is nothing short of the same with this Oswego State group of girls. 

“We have played well,” McGrane said. “Despite a couple results of the games overall I think we have done well. We just did not finish our opportunities and let up a couple bad goals. Depth is a big thing for us.”

Positivity can go a long way when things are not going the way you wanted them to pan out. Despite their six losses and four conference losses on the season, Myers said that this team’s skill is not a product of their overall record.

“We have been playing really well despite the outcomes,” Myers said. “We feel confident in the way that we are playing, and we know we still have a couple more chances to make it into the postseason.”

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics