The Oswego State women’ soccer team’s 2021 season has concluded with upsetting results after a 1-2 loss to SUNY Oneonta on Oct. 23.
It was a tale of two season’s for the Lakers starting off 2-0 before their next four games were cancelled due to COVID-19. From then they only won one game out of conference and two SUNYAC matchups before they ended with seven straight losses.
At their highpoint of the season the Lakers were 5-2 winning SUNYAC matchups against SUNY Potsdam and Buffalo State. They responded well after the four cancelations but saw a tough span of opponents from that point on. On top of the season coming to a fast close with no playoffs, the Lakers will also be saying goodbye to some of their best scorers in 2021.
The fall soccer season was nothing short of outstanding for seniors Elizabeth Myers, Grasia Madden and Maggie Riordan. These three seniors led the statistical sheet in nearly every category besides goaltending, which primarily belongs to Haley Muehl.
Madden played in all 14 games this season for the Lakers leading the team with 5 goals and also had 2 assists on the season. The midfielder from Baldwinsville, N.Y. in 2019 started all 17 games for the Lakers and recorded her first collegiate goal against SUNY Canton on Sept. 18. She finished the season with one goal and a team-high three assists on 27 shots, 11 of which were on-goal. Since then in 2021, she has recorded 37 shots, 21 shots on goal and two assists. The Lakers will miss her contributions and her leadership come next Fall.
Myers was another key piece of the puzzle in 10 games for the Lakers scoring four goals and one assist. Similar to Madden, Myers as a senior notched 21 shots on goal for the Lakers and was a stellar contributor on the squad in 2021. Myers appeared and started in nine games for the Lakers in 2019 where she tied for the team lead in goals with four and points at nine. She had a career-high four points against Clarkson on Sept. 13 and finished the season with 19 shots, 11 of which were on-goal. Overall, she had contributed the same amount she had in 2019 and was solid this fall.
Considering the record the Lakers finished with, they found a way to fight for five wins with a shorthanded roster in the first season back after nearly two years. Half of the roster consisted of 18 new players and only 14 returners. They were able to get solid production out of newcomers such as sophomore goaltender Muehl. In her first season playing in the net for the Lakers, she started in 14 games and made 58 saves on the season. Muehl finished the 2021 season with a 71% save percentage and was a vital anchor on defense for Oswego State in several close contests this season.
At 5-9 overall, the Oswego State women’s soccer team was able to complete and compete in 14 games for the season. The Lakers were two conference games short of clinching the sixth seed in the SUNYAC playoffs, and it came down to the last weekend of games with two 1-2 overtime losses against SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Oneonta.
Photos provided by Oswego State Athletics
