OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Lacrosse hit Laker Turf Stadium today aiming to secure a big Senior Day win over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs for the Class of 2025. Using the forward momentum created in their buzzer-beater victory over Oneonta, Oswego was ready to work. After an initial strike by the Mustangs, it did not take long for the Lakers to show off their offensive prowess, heading into the second quarter up 3-2. Eager to extend the scoreline, Oswego did not hesitate to generate offense in the 2nd, finishing the half with a comfortable 9-2 lead. Determined to claw their way back from a 7-goal deficit Morrisville came out swinging. The back-and-forth nature of the first half began to reappear in the third quarter, but the Mustangs would have the last laugh, achieving 3 unanswered goals to close out the quarter. Starting the final frame the Lakers maintained consistent pressure at both ends of the field, finding the back of the net a few more times before the buzzer, locking in a dominant 16-8 victory over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. 

THE BASICS 
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 16 (8-3, 4-0 SUNYAC) 

Morrisville 8 (1-7, 0-4 SUNYAC) 

 
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | Oswego, N.Y. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

The opening faceoff would be controlled by the Lakers, but Morrisville would earn the first greenlight on offense. After a fairly patient possession A fast short side drive by Mustang Nicholas DeNicola would catch Oswego off guard, notching the first goal of the game off the shoulder of netminder Seamus Hand at 12:55. As the Lakers began to settle in, it wouldn't take long for them to show off their offensive prowess with a snipe of an equalizer by Emmett Starowizc just over a minute later at the 11:30 mark. Starowizc's goal would be followed up by a handful of scoreless minutes despite both teams trading quality scoring chances. This dry spell would be terminated by a successful five-hole attempt executed by senior Corey O'Connor at 6:54. Another series of back-and-forth minutes would be corrected by a heater sent in by defenseman Jackson Cummings with 2:00 left in the quarter. As the first quarter clock began to expire, the Mustangs would have the last laugh improving the scoreline to 3-2 with only 0:06 seconds remaining.  

Eager to extend their lead the Lakers did not hesitate on offense. A selfless brother-to-brother passing play between Gavin Elston and Garrett Elston would open scoring in the second quarter at 13:36. Now trailing 4-2 the Mustangs began to turn up their intensity, peppering Hand with a range of shots, but none would find the back of the net. Oswego would come away from a physical ground ball battle with possession, sending them back down on offense to secure a 5th goal moments later at the 10:27 mark. On the next play, a Hail Mary clear by Seamus Hand would be kept in play by junior Hayden Coney at the opposing end line, generating a pass around that would set up Emmett Starowizc to collect a sixth goal for the Lakers at 8:22. On the next play, Morrisville attackman, Kyan Dohn, landed himself in the box for a slashing penalty awarding the Lakers a man-up advantage on which they would make good, lengthening their lead to 7-2 with goal by Garrett Elston. A Mustang faceoff violation awarded Logan Prescott immediate possession and offensive entry on the following faceoff, setting up Garrett Elston to complete his hat trick at 6:59. The second quarter ended similar to the first with a goal in the final seconds, sending the game into halftime 9-2. 

Determined to chip away at their 7-goal deficit Morrisville came out swinging, adding to the scoreline in the first minute of the 3rd quarter. Undeterred by their early addition, midfielder Jason Dongelewic responded with a tally of his own at 12:33. Following his teammates lead, Corey O'Connor added an eleventh goal at the 10:24 mark. Following O'Connor's goal, the Mustangs fought hard to combat a connected Oswego defense, finding success at the 8:18 mark. Brian Kelly's fourth tally sent a much-needed wave of energy through the Morrisville bench, as they would find two more unanswered goals before the conclusion of the third quarter. Entering the final frame with the scoreboard standing at 11-6.  

Starting the final frame the Lakers maintained consistent pressure at both ends of the field. Garrett Elston would once again opening scoring for the Lakers at 12:11 and continued his hot streak with another goal a minute later at the 11:15 mark. Now comfortably leading 14-6 thanks to another goal scored by Corey O'Connor, the Lakers were able to make some substitutions off the bench. A worm burner by Ryan Rogers would sneak through the legs of Mustang goaltender Nathan Weise, obtaining a 5th unanswered goal for Oswego at the 9:34 mark. Despite the Lakers' 15-6 lead, Morrisville defenseman Daniel Squires was still hungry, finding a seventh goal for the Mustangs at 4:01. With the final minutes starting to disappear, a steadfast effort from both teams would generate two final goals, locking in Oswego's dominant 16-8 victory over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Men's Lacrosse will have a week to prepare for a trip up North to Cardinal Country. Facing off against SUNY Plattsburgh next Saturday, April 19th at 1:00 PM in the Plattsburgh Field House Lacrosse Complex. Go Lakers!   

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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