The Oswego State women’s lacrosse team won both games against SUNY New Paltz and Buffalo State for SUNYAC conference games.

The first game was against the Blue Hawks. Before the game, the Hawks were undefeated in the conference. However, their unbeaten record fell with the Lakers’ tight 14-13 victory. The game started well for the Lakers, opening the lead in less than one minute. The Hawks scored only one goal in the first period to tie the game with 13 minutes left on the clock. But Oswego worked fast to open a three-goal lead and close a good first period.

In the second period, the Hawks improved their creation side and had seven more chances than the first. The Lakers scored first with Alexis Hill and increased their lead to 5-1. However, the Hawks got close to tying the game with just two minutes remaining in the second period, scoring three goals in seven minutes. Both teams scored in the final two minutes, and the Lakers went into halftime with a one-goal advantage.

Isabella Lembo, the star of the day, scored her second of the game early in the second period and kept the Lakers ahead on the lead for a while. After opening 9-6, the Hawks tied the game with two minutes remaining and came back right after with a two-goal lead in the fourth and final period.

The Lakers needed a comeback of more than two goals in the fourth period, and they started the job early, with less than a minute left in the game, keeping the dream alive. The Hawks scored two more goals, and the Lakers one more with just seven minutes left in the game. The Lakers tied the game with a good goal from Sela Wiley with a minute left. With eighteen seconds for the referee to whistle at the end of the game, Wiley scored again and declared an exciting victory for the Lakers. 

This was the Lakers’ seventh victory over the Hawks since 2017, and their second consecutive victory of the season in SUNYAC maintained the third place in the standings.

The Lakers’ second game was at the Laker Turf Stadium against the Bengals. The Lakers dominated the entire game and improved their record. The game ended with a 19-6 score, an important score with just two matches remaining.

Even with this massive score for the Lakers, the game started with the Bengals ahead, with a goal scored in 40 seconds. It only took nine seconds for the Lakers to tie the game with a goal from Noelle Smith, assisted by Wiley. The difference between the two teams was notable from the beginning, and the Lakers ended the first half with a four-goal lead, 6-2.

The second half started, and the Lakers didn’t stop attacking even with a good lead. They scored six more goals to open a ten-goal lead against the Bengals. The Bengals scored just one goal in the second period with five minutes remaining. Even after this goal, the Lakers pressed and scored two more going into halftime with a 14-3 advantage.

With the huge advantage, the Lakers realized that victory was imminent and controlled the game more. Although they finished less than in the other two periods, the Lakers scored two more goals and increased their victory even further.

The fourth period was the most balanced of the game. The Bengals tried to reduce the advantage and finish the match with dignity. Lembo opened the scoring in the fourth period for the Lakers, but soon after, the Bengals scored two goals to reduce the score. Julia Quirk scored with five minutes remaining, and Wiley, the star of the day, would score one more time for the Lakers to end the score practically. However, the Bengals still scored a goal and ended the game.

The Lakers’ next games are on the road against Plattsburgh State on Saturday at 11 a.m., and at home against SUNY Cortland, an unbeaten team so far.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics