The final game of the regular season is this evening under the lights for the Oswego State men’s lacrosse team. The Lakers head into the contest with their sight on a playoff berth, but the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles stand in their way. Oswego State could head to the post season with a win this evening against the 3rd ranked team in the conference. Faceoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Laker Turf Stadium and streams can be found on both WNYO and WTOP 10.
Season Recap
OSWEGO STATE
The Lakers are currently in a 3-game slide as Oswego State dips to 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the SUNYAC conference. After falling to SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Oneonta, the Lakers played a tough SUNY Cortland squad this past Wednesday at home. Oswego State would lose 16-12 to the Red Dragons but kept pace with the undefeated SUNY Cortland team for a majority of the contest. Gavin Elston led the way for the Lakers with 2 goals and 3 assists in the matchup and freshman Max Brodman finished with 4 goals. Aiden Kenyon struggled early in the 1st quarter but would eventually find his form later in the contest. The netminder made 17 saves on 33 shots and played the complete 60 minutes.
This streaky team started off the season 1-2 overall before stringing together 7 wins in the month of March and early April. But Apr. 9th was the last time the Lakers would taste victory as the team dropped a 1 goal game to SUNY Geneseo the following week.
SUNY BROCKPORT
On the other side of the field, the Golden Eagles enter the contest one slot above the Lakers in the season standings. SUNY Brockport enters the conference matchup with a 9-4 overall record and a slightly better conference record compared to the Lakers with a 4-2 record. On Wednesday, SUNY Brockport hosted SUNY Geneseo where the Knights would take care of business and remain undefeated in conference play with a 14-6 victory over the Golden Eagles. The SUNY Brockport squad can lock up the 3rd seed in the playoffs with a win over the Lakers this evening.
Matchup History
The SUNY Brockport team owns the matchup history with an overall record against the Oswego State program of 10-7. The Golden Eagles have won the last two matchups which includes the most recent meeting with a final score of 9-3 at Lake Turf Season last year. Their first meeting came in the 2004 season when SUNY Brockport hosted the Lakers and would fall to Oswego State 14-9. However, the Golden Eagles have won 9 out of the last 11 contests.
Around the SUNYAC
Every team has 1 game remaining in the regular season before the start of the playoffs. SUNY New Paltz and Plattsburgh State have both been eliminated from the post season as the two groups find themselves in the bottom 2 spots in the season standings. At the top, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Cortland are both undefeated with a SUNYAC post season playoff berth.
On Saturday, there are three SUNYAC matchups with those playoff implications. The Red Dragons and Knights will battle in Cortland to decide the number one seed in the post season. SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Potsdam, both tied for 5th in the standings, play for a chance of sneaking into the post season. SUNY New Paltz and Plattsburgh State will play for their final game of the season up in North Country.
By the Numbers
RECORD (conference)
OSW: 8-5-0 (3-3-0)
BRO: 9-4-0 (4-2-0)
GOALS (per game)
OSW: 164 (12.61)
BRO: 174 (13.38)
SHOTS ON GOAL (per game)
OSW: 334 (25.69)
BRO: 322 (24.77)
MAN UP OPPORUNITIES (percentage)
OSW: 19-56 (33.9%)
BRO: 21-57 (36.8%)
Statistic Leaders
OSWEGO STATE
GOALS
- Gavin Elston 35
- Weston Gray 26
- Ryan Eccles 20
ASSISTS
- Corey O’Connor 18
- Ryan Eccles 14
- Gavin Elston 12
POINTS
- Gavin Elston 47
- Weston Gray 36
- Ryan Eccles 34
SHOTS (percentage)
- Gavin Elston 73 (.584)
- Weston Gray 42 (.689)
- Ryan Eccles 38 (.543)
SUNY BROCKPORT
GOALS
- Rocco Santillo 32
- Patrick Sheridan 25
- Jack Peterson 17
ASSISTS
- Logan Nelson 12
- Ryan McCarthy 12
- Patrick Sheridan 11
POINTS
- Rocco Santillo 39
- Patrick Sheridan 36
- Owen VanWie 25
SHOTS (percentage)
- Rocco Santillo 47 (.588)
- Patrick Sheridan 46 (.676)
- Owen VanWie 34 (.630)
Players to Watch
OSWEGO STATE: Max Brodman
The Lakers have plenty of guys the team can turn to on the offensive side of the ball. From Gavin Elston to Weston Gray, there are plenty of names that end up on the score sheet when the final buzzer sounds. Max Brodman put up 4 goals last game against a tough SUNY Cortland defense. The freshman heads into the final game of the regular season with 16 goals and 9 assists which is good for 25 points in his rookie campaign. The Laker needs to continue to stay hot on the offensive side of the ball as the freshman did not record a point in the two games prior. Look for #3 on the field to have an impact for the Lakers.
SUNY BROCKPORT: Rocco Santillo
Rocco Santillo leads the Golden Eagles in points and goals this season. The Spencerport, New York native has 39 points, 32 goals and 7 assists, in 13 games played this campaign while in a SUNY Brockport uniform. The senior has had a breakout year after only playing 12 games played back in the 2019 season. Santillo has been able to push the Golden Eagles to the second most winningest team in men’s lacrosse history at SUNY Brockport. This afternoon, he will be the key to get this SUNY Brockport offense past Aiden Kenyon and the rest of the defensive unit for the Lakers.
Prediction and Final Thoughts
Tonight’s SUNYAC showdown is the biggest game of the season for both teams. For SUNY Brockport, the team has already clinched a playoff berth but could lock up the number 3 seed with a win this evening. For the Lakers, a chance to go back to the SUNYAC tournament is all based on tonight’s result. A win puts them into the playoff, while a lost ends their turnaround 2022 season. Oswego State has not been in the post season tournament since the 2019 season when the group lost to SUNY Cortland in the semifinals round. Game is set for 7:00 p.m. this evening at Laker Turf Stadium under the lights.
Prediction: 12-10 Oswego State
