OSWEGO, N.Y. – After a successful trip to Plattsburgh, Oswego Men's Lacrosse returned to home turf to fight for the No.1 spot in the league against the nationally ranked SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. Despite an eager start by both teams, it would not take long for the Dragons to show off their offensive prowess, mounting a quick 5-0 lead before a long-awaited response by the Lakers late in the quarter. Continuing their reign, Cortland wasted no time adding 3 goals to the scoreline. A dry spell would persist following a handful of quality chances by Oswego, but would eventually be broken by two Dragons, extending their lead to 11-1 just before the half. Determined to lessen their deficit, the Lakers demanded possession off the starting draw in the 3rd quarter, but conscious of Oswego's sudden offensive surge, Cortland tacked on 4 more unanswered goals, lengthening their lead to 15-4 entering the final frame. The Red Dragons were not satisfied with their 11-goal lead, finding 5 more before the buzzer. A late offensive surge by Oswego would just not be enough to combat Cortland's dominant 19-5 performance. 

 
Final Score:  

Oswego 5 (9-4, 5-1 SUNYAC) 

Cortland 19 (14-2, 6-0 SUNYAC) 

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

THE BASICS 
Cortland wasted no time off the initial draw, opening fire on Seamus Hand immediately. A quick pass around would be all the Red Dragons needed before securing the first goal of the game just under a minute into the first quarter at 14:02. A quick turn on offense for the Lakers would be quickly shutdown and turned up field by an eager Cortland defensive unit. As the beginning minutes began to unfold, the Dragons continued to keep Oswego on defense notching a 2nd goal at the 10:00 mark. Corey O'Connor would be charged with an offside penalty awarding an extra-man opportunity, giving Red Dragon, Klay Stuver, an open lane to the back of the net at 8:46. Another hasty offensive opportunity for the Lakers would not generate anything of quality, allowing Cortland to re-enter on offense, pocketing a fourth unanswered goal at 5:33. On the following play, Logan Prescott earned his first faceoff win of the match, but a miscommunication between Hand and his defensemen left opposing attacker, Liam Burns, wide open for an empty net goal only 0:07 seconds later. As the 1st quarter clock began to wither, Gavin Elston would be the first Laker to evade Travis Wagner with a bounce shot with just 0:40 remaining. Undeterred, Cortland found no issue in returning a sixth goal before the buzzer. 

A valiant effort by Prescott on the faceoff circle would allow his teammates to move in on the Dragons on offense but would struggle to string together a series of passes turning it over just above the goal line. Settling back in, Cortland continued their reign, adding 3 more goals to the scoreline in the early minutes of the second quarter. A nice interception and fast break by defenseman Connor Postel would generate a solid chance for Garret Elston but would unfortunately be rejected by the left post of Cortland's net. A series of scoreless minutes would ensue Elston's attempt, despite the Lakers gaining some momentum on offense. Cortland's relentless defensive unit would continue lay down the hammer, returning the Lakers to their defensive zone. Red Dragons, Kole Stuver and Nick Stoker, would break the scoring drought and extend their lead just before halftime, closing out the first half with a dominant 11-1 lead.  

Determined to lessen their deficit, the Lakers demanded possession off the starting draw in the 3rd quarter. Oswego quickly rotated their offense, successfully separating the defenders. Hayden Coney took his chances, sending a heater down broadway to the stick of Wagner at the top of the crease, who would find his fellow Dragons on the clear. A brief offensive play by Cortland would not give rise to anything special, but Gavin Elston tallied his second of the game at 12:16. Following his upperclassman's lead, first year Ethan McConnell added a 3rd goal at the 10:03 mark. Just under a minute later, the Lakers would make good on a 6-on-4-man advantage, collecting their fourth of the game at 9:08. Conscious of Oswego's sudden offensive surge, Cortland tacked on 4 more unanswered goals to the scoreboard, lengthening their lead to 15-4 heading into the fourth frame.  

Logan Prescott would win the final opening faceoff, but a quick turnover and textbook play by the Red Dragons would leave Klay Stuver undefended, sneaking one by the ear of Seamus Hand at 14:03. Not long after, Sam Rothman would join his team's hat trick club of the day, with sneaky five-hole goal at 12:38. A hard fall by Connor Postel would stop play momentarily, but the Lakers would regain possession on the following play due to a faceoff violation by Cortland. Oswego would share the ball around before Trey Jones would run a hard take from X, feeding Corey O'Connor, finishing on a shovel shot on the doorstep with 7:45 left to play. With both goal tenders standing tall, another dry spell would persist until the end of the game. A final possession by the Lakers would be a little too late as they would fall 19-5 to SUNY Cortland Red Dragons.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Men's Lacrosse will have a few days to prepare before traveling to Canton, N.Y. for their final regular season test against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos this Saturday, April 26th. The opening faceoff is set to commence at 1:00 PM at the SUNY Canton Turf Field. Go Lakers!   

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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