Entering the last month of play, the Oswego State field hockey team took on SUNY New Paltz over the weekend and Keuka College on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Looking to snap a two-game skid, the Lakers welcomed the Hawks on Teal Night for ovarian cancer awareness. It was all New Paltz to open the game as the Hawks had constant pressure in the Lakers zone, creating five corner opportunities. Lakers freshman goalie Ky Philips was a brick wall in the net, kicking aside three golden opportunities off these corner attempts. 

Oswego State found their offense late in the second quarter as they got good looks from junior Ellie Kazel and junior Kate McNally, but both were shut down by Hawks goalie, Gail Comiskey. Despite both teams having good looks inside the shooting circle, the first half ended with double zeros on the scoreboard.

New Paltz came out in the second half much like they did in the first quarter with shots from all around the shooting circle. The Hawks got three straight corner attempts and capitalized as Miranda Britton buried the first goal of the game. The goal seemed to build momentum for this Hawks team as they controlled the ball for the majority of the third quarter and prevented the Lakers from getting any offense going.

Heading into the fourth quarter trailing by a goal, Lakers Bryleigh Beauchat got a quick offensive scoring chance but just missed wide of the net. That was the last opportunity for the Lakers to make a comeback as the Hawks tallied an insurance goal off the stick of Meghan Gunning with two minutes left, putting the game out of reach.

The Lakers fell to the Hawks 2-0. New Paltz took advantage of their 17 corners, scoring both of their goals off attempts. The Lakers struggled to get their offense going as they were outshot 13-4. Philips came up big in net for Oswego State making six saves, but ultimately the two goals given up were the deciding factor.

Looking to bounce back after the loss to the Hawks, the Lakers traveled south to take on Keuka College on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Both offenses came out ready to play as the first quarter saw back-and-forth action. The Lakers had three corner attempts and six shots but no goals to show for it. To start the second quarter, Wolves Laine Rogers rifled a shot from beyond the 23-meter line and the ball found its way to the stick of Erin Patterson, who tapped in the first goal of the game. Down by one, the Lakers answered back just minutes later with a goal from Beauchat. To close out the half, the Wolves had five straight corner attempts but the Lakers’ defense and Philips shut them down to keep the score tied at halftime.

Keuka College started the second half like they ended the first: with multiple corners in a row, but once again they could not capitalize. After the big defensive stops, the Lakers turned from defense into offense as McNally buried the Lakers’ second goal of the game.

With a 2-1 lead, the Lakers kept their foot on the gas. Oswego State head coach Hoover substituted Kazel into the game and she rewarded her coach with a goal one minute later to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead. Oswego State continued to build on their lead as Kacie Simzer buried the team’s fourth goal of the game. Taylin Bauer followed suit with her first goal of the season just before the final buzzer.

Oswego State outshot the Wolves 22-10 despite having two fewer corner attempts. Philips made fives and the backup goalie Sydney Bialek made one save. McNally made her presence known in the shooting circle as she racked up seven total shots, four on net resulting in one goal. With the 5-1 win, the Lakers now hold an 8-1-2 all-time record against the Wolves.

After snapping a three-game losing streak, the 4-8 Lakers head back home to focus on their next game against SUNY Geneseo at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7 at Laker Turf Stadium. This game will be played on breast cancer awareness night.

Photo via: Oswego Athletics