The Oswego State women’s soccer team had an effective conclusion of their season in the semifinals of the SUNYAC playoffs at the hands of the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. The Lakers did not leave without putting on a show for their fans, notably forcing two shutouts against the best offense in the conference, SUNY New Paltz.
Their 2023 campaign was eerily similar to their 2022 season. By picking up early wins before stumbling a bit in September, they posted a strong record before losing to the Red Dragons in the playoffs. It truly was a repeat performance from the Lakers.
None of this would have been possible without the help of the seniors on this team, as the Lakers will be missing Luigina Serrao, Nicole Orlando, Shayna Connally, Gillian Groth, Haley Meuhl and Sara Mariano come 2024. Serrao was second on the team in shots with 37, and third in shots on goal with 21 on her season. Groth was a major part of the Lakers’ defense, only missing two games all season. Mariano contributed to the team on the offensive side, notching two goals across 16 games.
However, there is still a lot to look forward to when it comes to this Lakers squad. Katie Delgrosso, the Lakers leading scorer with five goals on the season, will be heading into her senior season. Those five goals tied her for 12th place in the SUNYAC. She also led the team in shots with 41; 25 of these were on goal which also led the team. Look for an even better season in 2024 from Delgrosso as she will have a serious uptick in playing time. Brianna Winkler, Courtney Key and Alora Miller will also be players to look for in 2024. They all led the team in assists with two on the season. All three are underclassmen, so steady improvement will become volatile for the Lakers come next season. Goalkeeper Perri Anderson will also be heading into her senior season for the Lakers. She is coming off a stellar season with a conference-leading nine shutouts, and second in the conference allowing 12 goals on the 143 shots she faced. She was right in the middle of the pack when it comes to save percentage, with a .803, with 49 saves on her season. She will be a major key player next season for the Lakers.
The offense of the Lakers was the downfall of their season. Just comparing it to 2022, the Lakers scored 15 less goals than last season, cutting their scoring by almost half. It was not a complete fall-off for shooting though, as the Lakers only shot .6 less shots per game than 2022. It was not a fall when it came to where the shots were going either, as their on-goal percentage increased from last season from 0.515 to 0.537. The Lakers need to capitalize on their opportunities. The defense was much the same as it was in 2022, as the Lakers still outshot their opponents by a large margin, this season by 80, leaving something to be desired looking at the stats.
The Lakers hope to find their way back to the SUNYAC playoffs in 2024, and hopefully history will not repeat itself. This team will look a lot different, but it is best to assume they will still pack the same punch come next season.
Photo by: Oswego Athletics
