OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Lacrosse returned home this afternoon to face off against SUNY New Paltz in their second to last regular season matchup. Determined to continue their undefeated SUNYAC campaign, the Lakers meant business entering today's contest. An early tally by the Hawks would not intimidate Oswego, as they would go on to collect 5 unanswered goals as the first quarter got underway. Like the 1st, New Paltz would open scoring in the second quarter, but would be faced with an 8-3 deficit heading into halftime. Determined to correct their lackluster performance in the first half, the Hawks came out swinging in the third, adding 2 points the board in the opening minutes of the quarter. Undeterred the Lakers continued to churn out offense, attaching 5 more unanswered goals to the scoreline, entering the final frame up 13-5. Not ready to lay down just yet, New Paltz would trade a handful of goals with Oswego, but a series of scoreless final minutes would help the Lakers pull away with a 14-7 win over the SUNY New Paltz Hawks.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Oswego 14 (12-2, 8-0 SUNYAC)
New Paltz 7 (11-4, 6-2 SUNYAC)
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | Oswego, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An eager New Paltz squad wasted no time off the opening draw, making waves on their first possession notching the initial tally at 14:00. As Oswego began to settle in, a good shot from Sophie Ruschin would be rejected by an even better save by opposing netminder Piper Mascaros, sending the Hawks back into the midfield. A few minutes later, Ruschin would redeem herself, making good on the first free-position attempt of the game at the 11:43 mark. The proceeding draw would result in a groundball battle at centerfield, won and taken in by the Lakers. A shovel pass from Alexis Hill would find the stick of Madison Davis on the doorstep. Davis would evade the sights of Mascaros with a behind-the-back no looker shot, giving the Lakers a mere 2-1 lead at 10:55. Continuing to heat up, Davis collected a free-position goal of her own at just under 2 minutes later 9:08. Madison Davis's steadfast offensive effort did not waver, racking up third consecutive goal and hat trick at 8:12. A 3:00 green card would put the Hawks down a man momentarily, but as play returned to even strength another minor foul would give Alexis Hill the chance to lengthen their lead to 5-1 with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter. Noelle Smith would find herself in the penalty box on the next play, but not for long as the Hawks added to the scoreline to 5-2 just before the 2nd quarter.
Determined to lessen their 3-goal deficit, New Paltz came out ready to work the second quarter, earning immediate offensive positioning off the draw. Like the first, the Hawks would collect the 1st goal of the period on a free-position attempt at 14:03. Keeping the pressure on, New Paltz managed to hold the Lakers in their defensive zone for the following minutes, until Oswego broke up field at 10:41. The Lakers would maintain possession despite a lockdown defensive effort by the Hawks, but would struggle to find quality looks on net until Davis found Mackenzie Winn undefended beside the crease, where she would pocket Oswego's sixth goal of the game at the 7:35 mark. In the following minutes, both programs would trade possession, but the dry spell would continue until Alexis Hill found the back of the net off a powerful side arm shot at 3:31. As the clock began to tick down, the Lakers did not let up, securing another free-position goal this time scored by Julia Quirk, heading into halftime leading 8-3.
After a brief intermission, the Hawks continued their scoring trend, adding two points to the board just a minute and a half into the third. Fighting to regain their offensive momentum, the Lakers would be kept on their heels on defense after letting up two turnovers. A tripping foul against the Hawks would return possession to Quirk who took the ball coast-to-coast, giving Oswego a chance on offense. A successful interception by the Hawks would leave the Lakers outnumbered on the return, but a massive defensive stop by Sadie Zemanick would decline New Paltz's 2-on-1 fast break opportunity. Upon returning the ball to her attackmen, the Lakers' pass around would give Alexis Hill a lane to the net, securing a hat trick of her own at 9:16. First year Aubrianna Green followed Hill's net drive initiative, extending the scoreline to 10-5 a minute later at the 8:16 mark. A handful of minutes later, Madison Davis would make good once again off a feed from Cassidy Croce, increasing their lead to 11-5 at 5:28. Continuing to lay down the hammer, Green added a fourth unanswered goal to the 3rd quarter tally with 3:03 remaining. Despite the disappearing clock, Kathryn Nash found her legs after picking up a groundball, splitting the defenders and cashing in a thirteenth goal before entering the fourth frame.
Keeping their foot on the gas, the final opening draw would be controlled by the Lakers, peppering Piper Mascaros replacement, Sam Wohlmut, with shots right off the bat. Multiple unsuccessful attempts would spark a scoreless seven and a half minutes of play, broken by New Paltz attackman, Lexi Atwater at 7:34. Undeterred, sophomore Cassidy Croce responded with a 14th goal for the Lakers on the following possession. Despite their 8-goal deficit, the Hawks were not ready to lay down just yet, finding another goal at the 5:50 mark. New Paltz regained offensive positioning off the next draw, but a connected and confident Oswego defensive unit would keep them at bay, forcing a shot clock violation at 4:22. Another series of scoreless minutes would persist until the final buzzer, awarding the Lakers a 14-7 victory over the SUNY New Paltz Hawks.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego Women's Lacrosse will have a couple days to prepare before heading to Buffalo, N.Y this Wednesday, April 23rd for their final regular season test against the Buffalo State Bengals. The opening draw is set to commence at 4:30 PM on Coyer Field. Go Lakers!
Written By: Matilda Pethrick
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