On Sep. 28, The 5-1-2 Oswego State men’s soccer team played their first SUNYAC game against the 5-1-3 Suny Oneonta Red Dragons, where they were defeated in a 2-1 nail-biter. 

Despite what the score may say, this was a very offensive-driven game, with both teams playing very aggressively to start the game. Within the first two minutes, the Lakers got their first shot on goal from Tajay Ellis that was stopped by the Red Dragons goalkeeper. Oneonta answered with a with their own shot on goal, but was saved by Lakers goalkeeper, Kyle Rose. 

After both teams traded shots, it was Scout McCumiskey who gave the Lakers the 1-0 lead off the assist from Kyle Gehnrich at the 11-minute mark. 

The Lakers’ defense started to feel some pressure from the Red Dragons as they fired two shots on goal but could not capitalize on the opportunities and the Lakers went into halftime with the 1 goal lead. 

Both teams came into this game aggressive, as shown in their play throughout the first half, with 14 fouls being called. 

The second half saw a change of pace from both teams, as neither could get anything going offensively as there were only two shots on net in the first ten minutes. 

However, it was the Red Dragons that were able to capitalize off the minimal opportunities, tying the game up 1-1 at the 57-minute mark. 

The Lakers quickly tried to retake the lead, with two shots on goal coming from McCumiskey and Ethan Caruana, but were unsuccessful in doing so. 

The game remained tied up throughout most of the second half until the 81-minute mark, where it was the Red Dragons finding the net, taking a 2-1 lead with only nine minutes remaining. 

The Lakers did their best to tie things up with the time winding down, firing off four shots in just five minutes, but unfortunately it was not enough and they left Oneonta Red Dragon field with a 2-1 loss. 

Following their tough loss to Oneonta, Oswego State made their way back home where they successfully defended their turf against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos in a dominant 3-0 win. 

The Lakers’ offense started their dominance early with Ian Husselbeck firing in the first goal of the game, giving the Lakers a 1-0 lead in just under two minutes of play. 

The Lakers throughout the first half were not allowing the Kangaroos to get anything going on offense, holding them to no shots in the first half. However, despite the Lakers dominating time of possession, the score remained 1-0 going into halftime. 

To start the second half, in an attempt to extend their lead, McCumiskey and Husselbeck fired shots that were ultimately stopped by the Kangaroos. 

The Lakers continued to pressure the Canton defense which ultimately led to Tajay Ellis burying one in off the assist from Husselbeck, extending the Lakers lead to 2-0 at the 65-minute mark. 

Just five minutes later, following a few more scoring opportunities coming from the Lakers’ offense, it was Jason Wuytack firing one into the back of the net off the pass from Gehnrich, giving Oswego State their third and final goal of the game at the 65-minute mark. 

Although the Lakers’ offense dominated, the defense also played extremely well, not allowing one shot on net the entire game. 

After the Lakers dominant performance against the Kangaroos, their record stands at 6-1-2 while also being 1-1 in the SUNYAC Conference. Now the team heads to face the 3-3-3 SUNY Morrisville Mustangs on Saturday Oct. 5.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics