The 2016 season is almost over for the Oswego State Lakers women’s soccer team, but they are right in the middle of the hunt for a SUNYAC playoff berth and have some big games ahead  to finish out their regular season schedule.

If the Lakers want to make the playoffs they will have to beat SUNY Cortland at home Saturday afternoon. SUNY Cortland currently sits one spot ahead of the Lakers in the conference with 12 points while the Lakers have 11. It is win or go home for Oswego State.

A big reason why Oswego State is still in contention is senior defenseman Mary Morrison and sophomore defenseman Chloe Lonergan. Both have played every minute of the season for the Lakers and have not shown any signs of fatigue late in games.

Head coach Brian McGrane said he has confidence in his two middle defensive backs game in and game out.

“I just think they’re very confident players,” McGrane said. “They are really a good one, two punch in terms of what we want and it helps that they are in sync with each other.”

“I want to be able to support my teammates”, Lonergan said. “[With] that extra push I get from my other defenders, who also play full games, we are able to push each other and if I’m able to give it my all I know I’m not letting anyone down.”

Being a sophomore and having more experience under her belt, Lonergan said she learned a lot from her freshman year and was able to use that over the summer to help her prepare for the season.

“I definitely learned that the college speed of play was a lot faster than high school,” Lonergan said. “I did a lot of agility and speed training and the game is much more physical, so I wanted to be able to adapt to the physicality of the game.”

The relationship Lonergan and Morrison have has given them an advantage with their communication on the field and has become second nature to the both of them.

“She’s a solid teammate and friend and I know I can always count on her,” Lonergan said. “We just have been able to bond and we know where each other are on the field at all times and have a general idea of where she will go with the ball.”

Morrison also used the summer to help herself get in better shape for her final season to not only help herself, but her team.

“I was just able to put in the work and work out a lot,” Morrison said. “I wanted to do it for my team and that was my main goal.”

Morrison is not only a fantastic player on the field, she also leads by example off the field. She is very confident in the team’s ability to succeed after she graduates and will leave the underclassmen with a positive message.

“I’m just going to tell them to work hard and put the work in off the field,” Morrison said. “I don’t think it really matters if you’re playing 90 minutes or not as long as you’re doing your part in helping the team.

Oswego State will host SUNY Cortland Saturday at Laker Turf Stadium with serious implications on the line for the SUNYAC Playoffs.