The Oswego State men’s lacrosse team was back in action as they matched up against Utica College on March 21 and SUNY Brockport on March 25. 

Coming off two straight wins, the Lakers looked to keep their momentum going as they welcomed the Pioneers to Laker Turf Stadium. The Pioneers turned defense into offense to get on the board as they blocked a shot from the Lakers. This transitioned into offense where they netted the first goal of the game. With just under six minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers responded with a goal from Connor Aspinall. The Pioneers took the lead right back, but once again the Lakers answered, this time from Max Brodman. The Lakers finished the first quarter strong with two more goals to take a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes. The Lakers extended their lead in the second quarter with another two goals to put themselves up 6-2 after one half. 

The Pioneers came out hot in the second half with two early goals to cut into the lead, but the Lakers’ offense settled in and started ripping shots from all over. After 17 total shot attempts in the third quarter, the Lakers put up four goals, with two coming from Liam Sexton. This extended their lead 10-4 heading into the final quarter. The Lakers continued to dominate and scored three more goals to make it five unanswered scores, sealing a 13-4 win. 

Lakers goalie Seamus Hand finished the game with 11 saves on 15 shots faced. Sexton, Brodman and Aspinall led the team in scoring with three goals each, and Sexton also tacked on two assists. 

The Lakers had 49 total shots, 13 turnovers, went 17-19 on clears, scooped up 34 ground balls, won 11 faceoffs and went 0-5 with a man advantage. On the other side the Pioneers were held to 27 total shots, had 12 turnovers, went 18-22 on clears, 30 ground balls, won eight faceoffs and went 0-2 with a man advantage.

After a win against the Pioneers, the Lakers hosted the Golden Eagles in the first SUNYAC matchup of the season. Once again the opposition was first on the board as the Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead six minutes into the game. Minutes later, Jason Dongelewic put the ball in the back of the net to tie the game up. With time winding down in the opening quarter, the Golden Eagles regained the lead. The second quarter started and the back-and-forth action ensued as Lakers Corey O’Connor tied up the game with his team-leading 14th goal of the season. A few minutes later, the Lakers got their first lead of the game, but it was short-lived as the Golden Eagles tied it up before halftime. 

The Lakers changed the momentum of the game just six seconds into the second half as Logan Prescott won the opening faceoff and quickly rifled a shot into the back of the net to take a 4-3 lead. They added to their lead with goals from Sexton and Garrett Elston before the Golden Eagles stopped the bleeding with a goal of their own to make it 6-4 heading into the fourth quarter. Like the third quarter, the Lakers came out aggressive and scored three unanswered goals to take a 9-4 lead. The Golden Eagles netted their fifth goal of the game with 2:12 left to play, but their comeback attempt ended there. Hand had a season-high 20 saves, six coming in the final quarter, to help the Lakers take the conference matchup 9-5.

The Lakers move to 4-3 on the season and will look ahead to their next matchup at 3 p.m. on March 30 against SUNY Potsdam at Laker Turf Stadium.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics