OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Lacrosse hit the ground running this afternoon in a non-conference matchup against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. Looking to continue their winning momentum from last week, the Lakers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the opening minute of the first quarter. As the Golden Flyers found their rhythm, a back-and-forth first half would give Oswego a mere 6-4 lead heading into halftime. After a brief intermission, both teams would trade goals in the 3rd quarter, as Nazareth began to tilt the field in their favor equalizing the game 8-8 before the final frame. The Golden Flyers kept their foot on the gas in the beginning minutes of the fourth quarter, keeping the Lakers on defense and gaining a multiple-goal lead. Determined to neutralize the score in the final moments, the Lakers found a way to muscle out 2 goals with just 0:27 to play, but despite their final efforts, Oswego would have to accept a close 11-10 loss to Nazareth College. 

 
THE BASICS 
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 10 (2-2, 0-0 SUNYAC) 

Nazareth College 11 (3-2, 0-0 Empire 8) 
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | Oswego, N.Y. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

A commanding draw control and transition effort by junior Alexis Hill would give the Lakers some jump from the opening whistle. Wasting no time, Oswego moved in on the Golden Flyers and setup their offense. A series of passes by the Lakers would end up behind Nazareth's net with Madison Davis. After receiving a shovel pass from Davis, a hard crease roll and offside shot by Mackenzie Winn would result in the first goal of the game just 1:01 into play. As the 1st quarter got underway, the Flyers began to gain some offensive momentum but a connected defensive effort by Oswego would keep them at bay. A foul charged to Nazareth would award graduate student Julia Quirk a prime free position opportunity and the 2nd goal of the game at the 7:29 mark. Now 2-0, Nazareth began to pushback, putting the Lakers on defense off the following draw. A nifty feed by Flyer Julia Dietz would find the stick of Makenna Misiurewicz out front, where she would put one behind netminder Alana lacovissi, making the scoreline 2-1 at 5:02. A last-minute tally notched by Madison Davis would send the Lakers into the second quarter up 3-1.  

Another solid draw control would fall in favor of Hill, giving Oswego the first turn on offense in the second. An early foul and free position shot in favor of Winn would be collected by Nazareth's netminder, Allie Klestinec. The beginning minutes of the quarter would quickly turn into a back-and-forth battle, with both teams fighting for every groundball. A quick transition by the Golden Flyers would catch Oswego on their heels on defense, as they added they improved the scoreline to 3-2 at the 10:25 mark. Maintaining offensive possession off the following draw, Nazareth attacker Sophia Scialdone collected an equalizer goal just under 2 minutes later at 8:16. Undeterred by the Flyers comeback, the Lakers kept the pressure on in Nazareth's defensive zone, adding two back-to-back goals, regaining a 2-goal lead at 7:03. A couple quiet minutes of play would end with a gritty goal scored by Quirk and a last-minute goal scored by Scialdone would close out the half with the score standing at 6-4. 

After a brief intermission, the Lakers were right back at it with a draw control and a quick turn on offense. A handful of turnovers forced by Nazareth would disrupt Oswego's rhythm but a deceptive passing play between Davis and Noelle Smith would not be stopped, awarding the Lakers a 7th goal at the 11:00 mark of the third quarter. Without delay, the Golden Flyers returned a fifth goal of their own just 0:30 seconds later, keeping their deficit to two goals. As both teams traded possession the physicality began to pick up, giving Julia Quirk yet another free-position attempt and a hat trick at 10:21. A persistent and fast offensive effort by Nazareth in the final minutes of the quarter would be enough to tilt the field in their favor and tie up the game 8-8 heading into the final frame.  

The Golden Flyers kept their foot on the gas in the beginning minutes of the 4th quarter, adding a ninth goal to the tally at 11:57. Determined to regain some headway, a fast break by junior defenseman Sadie Zemanick would give Oswego a fleeting turn on offense before being turned back on defense by a successful clear from Klestinec. Sophia Ruschin would be charged with shooting space granting Flyer midfielder, Julia Dietz, a free position goal at the 9:05 mark. Just a minute later Sophia Scialdone would rack up her 4th goal of the game, extending Nazareth's lead to 11-8, at 8:05. As the time started to disappear, so did the looks of a comeback by Oswego, but determined to neutralize the score in the final moments, the Lakers found a way to muscle out 2 goals with just 0:27 to play. Despite their final efforts, Oswego would have to accept a disappointing 11-10 loss to Nazareth College.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Women's Lacrosse will have a quick turnaround, heading to Brockport, N.Y. this Saturday, March 15th to face off against the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles. The opening draw is set to commence at 1:00PM at Huntley Parker Jr. Field. Go Lakers! 

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

 
@OswegoAthletics  | FB: OswegoAthleticsOfficial  | IG: oswegoathletics