OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Soccer returned to Laker Turf Stadium this afternoon to face off against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. With both teams having found success in the early stages of their seasons, today's matchup was set to be a major temperature test, setting the tone for their upcoming matches. An early tally notched by Ian Husselback would give the Lakers a massive cushion in an extremely back-and-forth first half. Determined to level the score before halftime, the Engineers did not let up, laying down the hammer on offense, but Oswego stood tall, utilizing their roster depth and new additions to hold on to their 1-0 lead heading into the intermission. As play resumed, RPI wasted no time picking up right where they left off, but not easy to relinquish; the Lakers promptly matched the Engineers' energy. With many missed chances, Oswego's morale almost began to slip but instead of giving up, they shifted focus, running down the clock and beating Rensselaer Polytechnic 1-0 at the final buzzer.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Oswego 1 (2-1-1, 0-0-2 SUNYAC)
RPI 0 (2-1-1, 0-0 Liberty League)
Location: Laker Turf Stadium | Oswego, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The starting center pass would be sent back to the RPI defenseman who quickly turned the ball up the field into Oswego's zone. A few early fouls allowed the Engineers to maintain brief possession in the opening 3 minutes, but as the Lakers began to settle into the game, it did not take long for them to generate some offensive energy of their own. A nice transition produced by Oswego gave Kieran Husselback a clear hallway for a boot into the Engineers box. This pass would be mishandled by an RPI defenseman and picked by Keiran's brother, Ian Husselback. Without hesitation, Ian placed a gentle shot into the bottom left corner of the net to open scoring just 5:24 into the first half. In the minutes following Oswego's first tally, both teams picked up their intensity, elevating the pace of play and physicality. A hard hit laid on Kieran Husselback in the midfield would unfortunately take him out of commission momentarily. As play resumed, Oswego would struggle to produce quality offense without their captain, tilting the field in RPI's favor for the remainder of the first half. Left alone in the top of the Lakers' zone, Justin Woodbine unleashed a heavy shot that would just skim the top of the crossbar, missing an equalizer by a few inchesonly minutes before halftime. With the clock quickly disappearing, the Engineers did not let up but would have to wait to level the scoreboard in the second half.
Hungry for a tally, RPI wasted no time picking up right where they left off in the first half, gaining immediate offensive access. Not ready to relinquish, the Lakers promptly matched the Engineers' energy. And with Kieran Husselback back on the pitch from his injury scare, Oswego's confidence began to slowly return as the beginning frames got underway. Standing tall of defense, the Lakers kept the determined Engineers at bay while finding another gear on offense. For most of the middle minutes, the two squads traded premium scoring opportunities, but neither managed to breakthrough, continuing to ramp up the stakes. With many missed chances, Oswego's morale almost began to slip but instead of giving up, they shifted their tactics. From being aggressive to passive, the Lakers focused less on generating offense, and more on keeping the ball away from RPI. This worked in their favor, frustrating the Engineers at both ends of the field. Running down the clock, Oswego remained persistent, beating Rensselaer Polytechnic 1-0 at the final buzzer.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego Men's Soccer will hit the road again, travelling to Ithaca, N.Y. to face off against the Ithaca College Bombers this Sunday, September 20th. Kickoff will commence at 1:00PM on Carp Wood Field. Go Lakers!
Written By: Matilda Pethrick
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