After a hot start to the season, the Oswego State field hockey team has hit a rough patch as they have lost five out of their last six games bringing their record to 6-5. The Lakers previously played SUNY Oneonta and St. John Fisher College in two close games. 

Oneonta was in town for a big matchup with the Lakers. The game started out slow with no shots on goal in the first half by either team. The Red Dragons displayed a strong defensive performance as the Lakers held the ball in the offensive zone for the majority of the quarter. 

The second half was a completely different game as both teams came out firing shots across the shooting arc. Head coach Heather Moore made a great substitution just three minutes into the half, sophomore Bryleigh Beauchat came off the bench and made an immediate impact as she scored off her own rebound for the first goal, assisted by sophomore Kate McNally. The lead would not be held for long as just two minutes later Oneonta took advantage of their first corner of the game and buried the tying goal off the stick of Carly Waszczak. 

Both teams continued the high offensive pressure for the remainder of the second half. The best offensive chance for either team came late in the fourth quarter when the Red Dragons had constant pressure and had four straight shot attempts but they were all kicked away by Lakers’ goalie Erica Scheblein. 

As the final buzzer sounded and the fourth quarter concluded the score was still tied at one and the game would go into double overtime. The Red Dragons made a big defensive stop on a two-on-one for the Lakers and had a fast break going the other way. Forward Morgan Fleming was able to slide in the game-winner past Scheblein and secure the 2-1 win for  Oneonta.

The Lakers have now lost 11 straight games against the Red Dragons, pushing their all-time record to 9-42-3 against them. 

After their loss to Oneonta, the Lakers were on the road to Rochester to play St. John Fisher College in a non-conference game. 

The Cardinals came out with a lot of offensive pressure forcing Scheblein to come up with four big saves early. Defense turned into offense for Oswego State as senior Kacie Simzer scored the first goal of the game in the second quarter, assisted by sophomore Nancy Pagliaroli. To close out the half Oswego State continued the offensive pressure as they had five more shot attempts, but the Cardinal’s defense held its ground. 

The Cardinals were hot to begin the second half and netted two goals in the first six minutes coming from Audrey Grieb and Sam Choate. Oswego State’s offense was halted and St. John Fisher College continued to put pressure on Scheblein throughout the whole fourth quarter. Oswego State only had one shot on goal in the last fifteen minutes and could not make a comeback. The Lakers finished with seven shot attempts, four on goal and eight corners. The Cardinals had a total of 20 shot attempts, 13 on goal and five corners. 

This loss brings Oswego State’s record to 6-5 on the season. Moore will turn to her experienced players to rally the Lakers through this losing streak. Simzer and Kaitlyn Mastracco will be key players to watch for the remainder of the season. Simzer is first for SUNYAC players in points with 26 with 12 goals and two assists and Mastracco is third in points with 17 with eight goals and one assist. Scheblein leads the SUNYAC in save percentage with .867. 

The Lakers will be on the road for their next game against SUNY Cortland at 1 p.m., on Oct. 8. They will need a big win to stay competitive in conference play and will try to avoid a three-game losing streak.

Photo provided by  Abigail Connolly