By Alexander Abramovich

A very strong start to the 2022 season has put the Oswego State men’s lacrosse team in an ideal spot through their first seven games, winning five of those seven contests. 

Besides a 13-0 loss against Clarkson University back on March 8, the Laker’s offense has been a juggernaut so far. Outside of that 13-0 blunder, the Lakers have outscored their opponents by a total of 77-41. Not only have they started off the 2022 campaign hot, but they are also riding a four-game win streak, which they look to extend to five on April 2 when they head to Plattsburgh, N.Y., to take on the Cardinals. 

Their past two games were nothing but pure dominance from the Lakers, they took down Keuka College 19-4, followed by an 18-8 thrashing over Utica College. Momentum like this could be massive for this team, as they head into their first SUNYAC matchup of the season against Plattsburgh State, who is 2-6 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. SUNYAC play will be the beginning of the Laker’s crucial stretch of the season, if they can dominate, or at least play well enough in those competitions, they will be poised to be in a great spot at the end of the year.

A big reason behind the success of this Lakers team so far this season has been the great coaching of head coach Sean Eccles. Though it was a shortened season for the Lakers in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it certainly wasn’t the most successful season, as the team lost all seven games that they had played. Going from a winless team to a team that has won five of its first seven  games, is quite the improvement even though the season is still so young. Eccles believes that his team is starting to get used to playing with each other, and that is a big reason why his team has been playing so well recently. 

“We’re starting to find some chemistry, on defense, on getting the ball from defense to offense,” Eccles said. “The guys on offense are starting to play as a group as opposed to just by themselves, really nice to see. I will say that it’s a totally new season for us going into conference play, we’re not thinking of Utica, we’re not thinking about Keuka, we’re not thinking about anything other than what’s in front of us here and that’s two really good teams [Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam.]”

 Although Eccles was not there to coach this team last year, he has done a fantastic job so far in year one as he gears up for his first conference games as the leader of this team.

The vibes around this team seem to be pretty high, winning four games in a row is the evidence to back that up, and having high morale amongst the team is huge for not on building chemistry, but it is important making sure that everyone is comfortable and on the same page with everything. Goaltender Aiden Kenyon said that the vibe going around the team has been a good one so far this season, and they are having fun with it too.

 “I think chemistry-wise the vibes are good when we go out there and get the music going during practice, all the guys are getting together and talking,” Kenyon said. “From the beginning of the season to now, especially on the offensive side of things, guys are starting to communicate with each other, where to be, so I think our chemistry has grown a lot.” 

Kenyon has been playing very well himself as of late, only giving up four goals in his last two games combined. It was a shaky start to the year for Kenyon, after dropping his first two outings, he has followed that up with four wins in a row and has helped guide this team to the position that they are in as of right now.

Another player on this team that has been massive for the Lakers so far this year has been sophomore Gavin Elston, who is the current team leader in goals with 18 this season. Elston’s play has been firing on all cylinders this season and has been red hot recently as he has scored 13 of those 18 goals in the past four games and is also riding a four-game goal streak. Elston believes the main reason behind the success that he has had this year is the play from his teammates, and maybe even some luck.

 “I think for our team as a whole, we’ve all learned how to get out of each other’s way and be where we’re supposed to be,” Elston said. “I think sometimes I just end up where I need to be when I’m supposed to be there, which has allowed me to score many goals this year.”

This Oswego State team seems to have found its stride early on in the 2022 season after a hot 5-2 start, The Lakers look to keep that momentum going as they open up conference play this weekend when they head north to take on Plattsburgh State.

William Rogers | The Oswegonian