For the first time in program history, the Oswego State men’s soccer team will play in the SUNYAC Championship. This Saturday the Lakers will play for a chance at SUNYAC glory and a bid to the Division III Men’s Soccer NCAA Tournament, but the road first goes through the place where their 2019 campaign came to a screeching halt, SUNY Cortland. 

Their road to the final is unique, full of magic and unlike any other. Of their first seven games this season, just one game resulted in a Laker win. Yes, just one. But not all six of the others were losses. Infact, only two, and the other four were all ties. The final game of this stretch was against Plattsburgh State on the road, tying their first SUNYAC game of the season. That left the Lakers with a 1-2-4 record almost halfway into the season. Without a doubt, not the start they were looking for. Then, the script flipped.

The next four for Oswego State were all wins, each coming within the SUNYAC, meaning their first five conference games were without a loss. The Lakers looked like early favorites to host a tournament game and maybe even earn a bye when all is said and done. But just as things began to look up, the doors began to close. Four straight losses kept the Lakers at 13 points in the conference dropping them all the way down from third place, awaiting a sixth seed to travel to Oswego, to fighting for a spot in the tournament. Not ideal to say the least. Those four losses rounded out the season.

Their fate came down to the final game of the SUNYAC season between the Buffalo State Bengals and the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles. A win for either team would put them through, into the tournament, but a tie would give Plattsburgh State the final seed. Although, magic always seems to gravitate to the port city. Buffalo State edged out the Golden Eagles sending the Lakers dancing into the SUNYAC tournament.

After beating SUNY Oneonta in the quarterfinal, a team that was ranked within the top five in the country at one point this season, Oswego State took on the SUNY New Paltz Hawks in a Wednesday afternoon bout between two teams who are, historically, very evenly matched. The Lakers were 19-18-3 against the Hawks entering the SUNYAC semifinal game, SUNY New Paltz was ranked among the top 20 in the country during this season and had beaten Oswego State just two weeks prior. But all of that seemed to fly right out the window when both teams stepped on the field.

Shot after shot, save after save, neither side would budge as these two teams have never really had much of an edge on each other in their history, but the magic never faded. Just minutes after the break, freshman Ha Joon Lee dribbled towards the left side of the 18-yard box, flicked in a left-footed cross finding the head of junior Kieran Gilroy giving the Lakers a 1-0 lead. All they needed to do now was defend for 40 minutes and their ticket would be punched. Easy? No.

With less than 19 minutes on the clock, a foul on the Oswego State end occurred inside the box, awarding the Hawks a penalty kick and a chance to tie it up. Freshman Joseph DiPrieta stood over the ball and struck it low but the mastery of senior Brian Terra kept the ball out of the net with a kick save and a beauty. Time winded down and the Lakers eventually secured a victory, leaving them for a date with destiny on Saturday afternoon with SUNY Cortland. 

But the same question is to be asked when Oswego State took on Oneonta State just a week ago and even prior to facing the SUNY New Paltz, can they win? Simple answer, yes. But who likes simplicity? 

In 2019, the Lakers had fought their way into a fifth seed for the SUNYAC tournament and had to play the Red Dragons on the road in the quarterfinals. 82 minutes of radio silence went by until Ivan Dam netted a shell-shocking goal, leaving Oswego State hanging by a thread. Just three minutes later the Lakers were awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box and Omar Espinoza stepped up to the challenge. He curled in a howler that sent the Lakers into a frenzy and forced an overtime.

After two full overtime periods and eight rounds of the penalty shootout, SUNY Cortland defeated Oswego State 6-5 on penalties to send the Lakers home packing. But in what was still the infancy of a new coaching era, head coach Dan Kane had helped give his team a taste of what the SUNYAC tournament was like. It was only apropos that he and the Oswego State men’s soccer team would return the following season.

No stats or analytics can prove that this Oswego State team has the edge come Saturday afternoon. Sure, the Lakers are 4-1-2 on the road this season and just beat two of the best three teams in the SUNYAC. But the Red Dragons are 7-1-1 at home and have not lost a game to Oswego State since 2006. SUNY Cortland is, and has always been a very good soccer team. That is indisputable. But something this year’s Laker team has that many in the past had not is adversity. 

The Oswego State men’s soccer program has come a long way but never before have they fought for a title in the SUNYAC tournament. In 1966, head coach Ed Luongo led his Lakers team to a SUNYAC title based on regular season record within the conference. No play-ins, no quarterfinals, no overtime thrillers that end with a penalty kick shootout, nothing. But now, 55 years later, Oswego State has a chance to rewrite history. 

The script is written, the last page just waiting to be etched into history. Saturday at 1 p.m. in Cortland, NY, the Oswego State Lakers will take on the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in the 2021 SUNYAC championship. Will the magic continue?

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics