OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Lacrosse headed to Rochester this afternoon to face off against the Nazareth Golden Flyers, in hopes of keeping their 8-game winning streak alive. The Flyers mounted an early multi-goal lead, but the Lakers did not waiver, scoring 4 goals in three minutes to end the first half. The second half of the game would consist of both teams taking turns on offense and trading goals. As the clock ticked down, a successful clear would send Rob Nelson down the field to assist Liam Sexton's buzzer beater goal. Oswego would pull away with their first-ever win against the Nazareth Golden Flyers in the 20th matchup between the two programs.  

THE BASICS 
 
Final Score: Oswego 13 (9-3, 4-0 SUNYAC), Nazareth 12 (8-6, 2-1 Empire 8) 
Location: Golden Flyer Stadium | Rochester, N.Y. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

An opening faceoff win by Nazareth would give them the first turn on offense. Despite a few shots on net, neither team found much offensive success in the beginning minutes of play, but Golden Flyer Quinn McKercher would open scoring at 7:18. Junior Logan Prescott would win the following faceoff and gain offensive possession for the Lakers. A high shot by freshman Emmett Starowicz would be blocked by Nazareth netminder McLean Ralston and cleared out by his defenseman. A connected defensive effort from the Lakers would keep Naz at bay, forcing their shots high and wide. Goalie Seamus Hand took a trip up the field, getting a bounce shot off that would travel just over the head of Ralston. Nazareth attackman Kyle Rosenberger would notch the second goal of the match at 2:54 on the following possession, extending their lead to 2-0. The Flyers would regain offensive entry on the next play and would get a few quality scoring chances, but their shot clock would be run down by the Laker defense.  

Nazareth would carry their offensive momentum into the early minutes of the second quarter, winning faceoffs and groundball battles. A quick transition up the field by the Golden Flyers would grant Rosenberger Nazareth's third unanswered goal at 11:55. LSM Rob Nelson would put Oswego on the board with a strong shot on net just over a minute later at 9:16. Kyle Rosenberger would respond almost immediately, collecting a hat trick and a fourth goal for the Golden Flyers at the 8:36 mark. A clean faceoff win by Nazareth would secure a second goal in 10 seconds, pushing a 5-1 lead. On the following possession, Andy Hamel would head to the net, but would be shut down by the post. With the shot clock reset to 60, Hamel would get another opportunity on which he would capitalize, securing Nazareth's sixth goal at 7:42. A few minutes later, Connor Aspinall would make the score 6-2 on a shot from the outside with 3:48 remaining in the half. A good clear from Seamus Hand would send Austin Shroda down on offense, where Liam Sexton would find the back of the net at 2:21. A man-up opportunity following Jackson Cummings' goal would award Corey O'Connor a fourth unanswered Laker goal, improving the scoreline to 6-5 in the final minute of the 2nd quarter.  

The Golden Flyers would start the second half just as they started the first, on offense. A skilled Naz unit would test Hand with a range of shots and passing plays, but none would breakthrough until a fade-away shot from William O'Neill made its way by the ear of Hand at 12:39, making the score of 7-5. An offside penalty by Nazareth would give Oswego its second man-up opportunity of the game. A pass from Starowicz knocked down by a Flyer defenseman would rectify the Lakers' advantage sending Nazareth back on offense. The succeeding minutes would remain scoreless, until junior Max Brodman found a way to sneak one behind Ralston at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter. The final few minutes of the third would be spent in Oswego's defensive zone. Despite multiple intercepted passes, a powerful shot to the top left corner of the Laker net by Flyer Breden Regan would regain a 3-goal cushion of 9-6.  

Brodman didn't waste much time, notching his second goal of the day, 18 seconds into the fourth quarter. Rosenberger would strike once again at 12:57, but a successful following draw would give Oswego a turn on offense on which Emmett Starowicz would set up sophomore Hayden Coney for a one-timer goal at 12:00, improving the score to 10-8. Aspinall would pick up a rebound generated by a shot from Sexton, closing the score to 10-9 at 9:37. A strong scoring attempt by Jason Dongelewic 30 seconds later, at 9:09, would tie the scoreline up 10-10 heading into the second half of the 4th quarter. A slashing penalty on Oswego would award McKercher a man-up goal and Naz an 11-10 lead at 7:43. A nifty behind-the-back goal by Liam Sexton would knot the game up once again and another goal by Sexton, assisted by Coney, at 4:29, would give the Lakers their first lead of the game. A failure to advance the ball on the following play would result in a turnover and Nazareth goal at 3:55, retying the score 12-12. This tie would persist throughout the final minutes of the game until a buzzer beater goal scored by Liam Sexton gave the Lakers their first-ever win against the Nazareth Golden Flyers! 

This marks a nine-game win streak for Oswego men's lacrosse, the longest win streak in program history! 

WHAT'S NEXT 

The Lakers will return to action this Saturday April 20th at 3:00 PM when they travel to south to face off against the conference rival the SUNY Geneseo Knights.  

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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