OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Lacrosse hosted Alfred University this afternoon, looking to continue the success they found in their 14-5 win over Morrisville. The Lakers' quick start off the draw caught the Saxons on their heels on defense, allowing them to mount a multiple goal lead throughout the first and second quarters. To which they ran away with, in the second half of the game. An impressive 20 save performance from sophomore goaltender Seamus Hand and a connected defensive effort helped generate consistent offensive momentum, allowing 8 different Lakers to find the scoresheet. All this tenacity resulted in Oswego securing a 16-7 win over the undefeated Alfred U Saxons.  

THE BASICS 
 
Final Score: Oswego 16 (2-3, 0-0 SUNYAC), Alfred University 7 (4-1, 0-0 Empire 8) 
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | Oswego, N.Y. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

A connected warmup would give the Lakers good energy heading into the opening draw. A faceoff violation from Saxon, Hunter Cupp would give Oswego automatic possession. Senior Liam Sexton would have a few strong shots off the bat, but none would find their way past Alfred goaltender Quinn Sullivan. A good clear attempt would send the Saxons on offense and Alfred attackman Owen Zimmerman would notch the first point of the match at 12:13. Oswego would respond promptly, winning the following faceoff and setting up on offense. A bounce shot attempt by Hayden Coney would beat the shot clock but missed the net by a few inches. Junior Corey O'Connor intercepted Coney's missed shot and finished on the doorstep to tie the game 1-1 at 9:59. O'Connor's goal set Oswego's offense in motion, maintaining possession in the succeeding minutes. Freshman Garret Elston followed his teammate's scoring initiative, tallying an unassisted 2nd goal at the 5:48 mark. It did not take long for the vigilant Laker offense to strike again, as midfielder Max Brodman extended Oswego's lead to 3-1 at 2:43. Liam Sexton closed out scoring for the quarter with a goal just less than a minute later at 2:01.  

The Lakers carried the offensive momentum they generated into the opening minutes of the second quarter, as Elston found the back of the net once again at 13:59. Both teams would trade possession in the following minutes, but Alfred would strike next with another goal by Zimmerman at the 10:09 mark. For the remainder of the quarter both teams would have their chances on offense but the 5-2 scoreline would remain unphased until Trey Jones and Rob Nelson scored back-to-back goals at 1:47 and 1:45, extending Oswego's lead to 7-2 to close out the half.   

Despite the Lakers' growing lead, the Saxons did not back down, adding two unanswered goals of their own, to the scoreboard, at 14:27 and 13:53 of the third quarter. Oswego head coach Andrew Daly called a timeout following Alfred's fourth goal hoping to give his team some time to breathe and reconvene. This would pay off as Brodman would finish on a pass from Connor Aspinall improving the scoreboard to 8-4 at the 13:28 mark. The succeeding faceoff would bounce in Alfred's favor, but the Lakers would regain possession, setting freshman Emmett Starowizc up to tack on goal number nine at 10:20. The next four minutes would go scoreless, but Oswego stayed persistent on groundballs and in their defensive end. A Saxon turnover forced by Max Hahn, would be followed by another goal scored by Trey Jones pushing a score of 10-4 at 6:23. A penalty on Afred LSM Shane Cubala at 4:00 would award Oswego a man-up advantage on which Sexton would capitalize at the 3:41 mark. Alfred U would get a few quality scoring chances off the next faceoff but were unable to breakthrough. Garrett Elston tallied his fourth goal of the game at 2:35, furthering Oswego's lead to 13-4. Saxon defenseman Ben Cunningham would go coast-to-coast, off a change in possession, to add a fifth goal to the scoreboard for Alfred. The third quarter would close out with a score of 13-5. 

As the fourth quarter commenced, Corey O'Connor did not hesitate, putting another goal in just 44 seconds into play. The Lakers continued to test Sullivan with a range of shots and passing plays, but a crease roll attempt from Hayden Coney would find the back of the net at 11:25 to make the score 15-5. Although the likelihood of a comeback looked slim to none, the Alfred Saxons continued to work, responding with a faceoff win and a sixth goal off the following possession at 9:36. The score would stand stagnant at 15-7 until Alfred attackman Kevin Matson tallied the Saxon's 7th goal of the game at the 3:20 mark. Following this goal, Junior Shamus Holohan would trade places with starting goaltender Seamus Hand for the final minutes of play. Sophomore Joe Digiovanna did not let Alfred have the last laugh, closing out the game with a 16th final goal for the Lakers at 2:05, securing their 16-7 win over the undefeated Alfred University Saxons.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

The Lakers will return to home turf this Wednesday, March 20th when they face off against the Utica Pioneers at 4:00 PM.  

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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