OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Soccer hosted their first game of the season against former conference foe, Geneseo. After a slow opening minutes, the Knights were able to capitalize early on a miscommunication between the Laker defense. A goal by Oswego forward Sabrina Schmitt would tie the score at 1-1. Play remained tied for most of the game but was disrupted by a Geneseo goal early in the 2nd half. A last-ditch offensive effort by the Knights would extend their lead and secure a 3-1 win over the Lakers.  

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

A strong kickoff by the Lakers would give them immediate access to Geneseo's net for the first shot of the game that was saved and returned by Geneseo's keeper Mollie Collins sending the Knights up the field on the following play but would also be stopped. A few minutes later, Knights' midfielder Abby Foster found teammate Abby Dunnigan alone deep in the defensive box where she would give Geneseo a 1-0 lead at 3:39. As the first half got underway, the Lakers settled in on defense and had multiple quality scoring chances, but none would elude Collins. For the latter half of the first, both teams would trade breakaways and free-kicks, but play would remain mostly neutral in the midfield. Senior defender Lexie Thompson crossed the ball to teammate Sabrina Schmitt, who capitalized on a one-timer goal at 28:24 to tie the scoreboard up 1-1. The clock ticked down but play remained in a stalemate despite a last-ditch offensive surge from the Knights.  

The Geneseo Knights wasted no time in the second half moving the ball out of their defensive end and up the field to midfielder Lindsey Matthews. Matthews faked out two defenders and made her way to the net, shooting a strong ball over the hands of Anderson at 46:48. The Lakers did not sit back, returning an offensive rush and two corner kicks on the following play. The back-and-forth nature created towards the end of the first half persisted throughout the second, but Oswego continued to chip away on offense. A physical Geneseo squad would face a handful of fouls throughout the 2^nd half but would maintain their 2-1 lead. A promising breakaway attempt by Abby Foster at 13:31 would be shut down by Anderson and sent back up the field by Oswego. As the final minutes of play approached, the Lakers worked hard to maintain possession but a lockdown defensive effort from the Knights would keep them at bay. With just over 3 minutes remaining, Geneseo extended their lead to 3-1 and closed out the match with a victory over the Lakers. 

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Women's Soccer will return to the pitch on Friday, September 6th in their opening match at the 2024 Fredonia Blue Devil Classic, against the Houghton University Highlanders. The Lakers will kick off at 4:30 PM in University Stadium in Fredonia, N.Y. 

Written By: Matilda Pethrick