OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Lacrosse returned home this afternoon to host their final regular season game against conference leader SUNY Cortland. Looking to continue their 4-game SUNYAC winning streak and to put a dent in Cortland's undefeated conference record, the Lakers came out ready to work. An aggressive Red Dragon offense would tally an 8-goal lead in the first quarter and would continue racking up goals. A tenacious effort from Oswego in the second half would help mount a minor comeback of a few goals, but the running clock ticked down and Cortland would eventually pull away with a dominant 17-4 win.  

 
THE BASICS 
 
Final Score: Oswego 4 (10-6, 6-3 SUNYAC), Cortland 17 (12-4, 9-0 SUNYAC) 
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | O`swego, N.Y. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

A draw control and a quick transition from the Red Dragons would give them an early offensive entry and an early goal just over a minute into first quarter play. Sophomore Alexis Hill would come up with the ball and give Oswego their first turn on offense.  A strong Red Dragon unit would keep the Lakers to the outside of the zone and shutdown passing plays throughout the eight. A second goal scored by Cortland's Toni Cashman at 10:28 and another by Mackenzie Beck at 10:15 on a man-up opportunity would extend their lead to 3-0.  A groundball scooped up by the Cortland midfielders off the following draw would send the Dragons back down on offense, notching their 4th unanswered goal at 9:10 As the period progressed physicality ramped up, but the Lakers did not waiver picking up the intensity at both ends of the field. A good save by Cortland netminder Margaret Morgan would return the ball up the field, generating a scoring opportunity for Emma Dempsey, pushing a score of 5-0 at the 6:48 mark. A few minutes later a foul drawn by Julia Quirk would give Cashman a free-position opportunity on which she would secure a 7-0 lead over Oswego. Despite the growing lead, Cortland did not let up, closing out scoring for the first quarter with an 8th unanswered goal at 3:01.   

The second quarter would open similarly to the first, with the Red Dragons on offense. A cross-body save made by Junior goaltender Sarah Kamide would give her team some momentum up the field, but the Lakers would be turned back on defense off an intercepted pass. The beginning minutes would go scoreless until Cortland once again found their dominant offensive momentum scoring their ninth goal at 10:51. Just 10 seconds later they would strike again, activating a running clock with the scoreboard standing at 10-0 in Cortland's favor. A foul on a Red Dragon defender would give junior Julia Quirk a free-position opportunity lessening Oswego's deficit to 9 goals at 9:40. Sela Wiley followed Quirk's scoring initiative with another free-position goal just 40 seconds later at the 9:00 mark. Cortland would respond almost immediately, netting two nearly back-to-back goals, regaining their 10-goal lead for the remainder of the half.  

A yellow-card draw by Cortland would award Oswego with a man-up opportunity in the opening minutes on which Quirk would score a third goal for the Lakers just 20 seconds into the 3rd quarter. The following draw would be picked up by the Red Dragons and transitioned quickly up the field. Cortland would control the play in Oswego's defensive zone and tally 2 more goals to keep the clock running. As the end of the third quarter drew near the Lakers struggled to break the ball out of their d-zone but would get an opportunity on offense in the final 3 minutes. A physical Cortland defense would continue to make it difficult for Oswego, shutting down passing lanes and winning groundballs. Senior Red Dragon Toni Cashman would secure her fifth goal of the game and a 12-point lead for her team to close out the 3rd period.  

Cortland's depth on the bench would help them stay fresh in the final quarter of the game, winning the initial draw. The Red Dragons would take advantage of a man-up opportunity continue to prove why they are number one in the league, securing a 16th goal at 13:11. Just under five minutes later, Alexis Hill improved the scoreline to 16-4 at the 8:55 mark. The following minutes would go scoreless until Beck notched her second of the match at 4:13. A timeout by Cortland head coach Kelsey Van Alstyne would give the Lakers some time to breathe and reconvene before the final 2 minutes of regulation. A final offensive push by Oswego would unfortunately not be enough to rectify Cortland's 17-4 lead.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Women's Lacrosse will prepare for post season play in the SUNYAC with their opponent still to be determined. 

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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