The Oswego State men’s lacrosse team extended their winning streak to five games this season when they traveled to SUNY New Paltz to take on the Hawks on April 15. 

Liam Sexton started the game with an assist to Jack Delany, who put in the first goal of the day. Corey O’Connor quickly extended their lead by scoring a goal of his own. The Hawks did not give up, though, and scored twice in the space of ten seconds to tie the game. With 2:48 left in the first quarter, the Hawks then went in front.

The Lakers did not let their lead slip away, and in the final seconds of the first quarter, Jason Dongelewic tied the score at three with a goal. After Max Brodman restored the Lakers the lead once more in the second quarter with a goal, O’Connor gave the Lakers a three-point lead with back-to-back goals that were scored only four seconds apart.

The Lakers held the Hawks without a point in the second quarter and led 6-3 at the half. The Hawks reduced the margin to two in the third period, but Oswego answered with two more goals, one each from O’Connor and Gavin Elston. 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, a goal by Dongelewic increased the margin to five.

O’Connor scored the final goal for the Lakers to secure the victory despite the Hawks making a comeback with two additional goals in the fourth quarter. Aiden Kenyon led the day with 15 saves in net.

O’Connor led the club with five goals and made significant plays that helped the Lakers win. The success of O’Connor’s day, according to Oswego State head coach Andrew Daly, was due to him taking advantage of his opportunities. 

“I think we had a lot of guys who had opportunities,” Daly said.  “Corey (O’Connor) just did a really good job capitalizing on those opportunities.  I think he’s been really good around the crease, whether it’s sneaking or mirroring off of the other dodges so that when he gets his hands free and can finish, just being smart.”

Daly also believes that one of the keys to victory against the Hawks was the Lakers defense.

“I think Aiden (Kenyon) has had the two best games of his career, the last two games,” Daly said.  “Our defense, though, has been the strength of our team all year. I think they do a really good job of honing in on what our defense is…we want to give up the easiest shots possible for Aiden to save and I think our defense has done a really good job especially against (SUNY) New Paltz.”

The Lakers also traveled to Alfred University on April 19 to face the Saxons.

The Lakers found themselves down early in this matchup, as the Saxons scored three goals in the first quarter.  The Saxons offensive attack did not stop, as they tacked on four more goals in the second, the Lakers remained scoreless at halftime.

After a goal in the third quarter by the Saxons, the Lakers scored their first goal of the game, this one at the hands of Brodman.  In the span of a minute, the Lakers notched two more goals, with Elston and Trey Jones scoring them respectively. The Lakers finished the third quarter with another goal from Brodman.

Elston was the only scorer in the fourth quarter, as the Saxons tacked on another five goals, and the Lakers lost the game by a score of 13-5.  This loss ends the five-game winning streak the Lakers had, dropping their record to 6-3 overall.

The regular season is wrapping up, and the Lakers only have three games scheduled for the rest of the regular season.  However, the mindset is still weekly according to Sexton.

“We’re still looking week-by-week,” Sexton said.  “We’re trying to play a complete game against every team we have on our schedule, and just trying to win every game we can heading into the playoffs.”

The Lakers will hope to get back in the winning column, as they face SUNY Geneseo on April 22.  The matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Photo via: Oswego Athletics