In a thrilling SUNYAC semifinal game loaded with momentous swings and last-minute heroics, the Oswego State women’s lacrosse team defeated the Buffalo State Bengals 15-14 at the Laker Turf Stadium to advance to the conference title game.

In the first quarter, the Lakers had early possession, but the Buffalo State goaltender stood tall, turning aside multiple free position chances and denying the Lakers an early lead.  Despite spending the majority of the first 10 minutes defending, the Bengals struck first to gain a 1-0 lead.  The Lakers responded quickly, scoring goals from Alexis Hill and Julia Quirk, to finish the first quarter ahead 2-1.

The second quarter saw both sides trade goals and penalties in the same way. The Bengals’ Vanessa Willick knotted the game 2-2 with a man-up goal assisted by Sage Running Rabbit, who played an important role throughout. Emilee Josker and Willick each scored goals as the Bengals went up 4-3 midway through the frame. However, the Lakers’ offense, led by the trio of Hill, Quirk and Mackenzie Winn, regained momentum with three consecutive goals, including a man-up strike from Hill and a free-position finish by Winn to make it 6–5. Running Rabbit knotted it with her second of the quarter, but Aubriana Green of Oswego sealed the half with a goal that gave the Lakers a slim 7-6 lead.

The third quarter continued the back-and-forth trend.  Buffalo’s Lauren Rinow quickly tied the game at 6-6, then added another to make it 7-7 after Oswego temporarily grabbed the lead on Alexis Hill’s third goal of the night.  However, an influx of yellow cards for Bengals players provided the Lakers with a man-up advantage that they did not waste.  Noelle Smith, Cassidy Croce and Winn all scored goals to help Oswego build its highest lead of the game, 11-7, heading into the fourth quarter.

What followed was one of the most thrilling comebacks of the SUNYAC season.

The Bengals returned from the break reborn, led once again by Willick. She caught fire, scoring three goals in a four-minute span, two of which came while the Lakers were short players due to penalties.   Running Rabbit added another and Willick completed her fourth-quarter hat trick, as she tied the game 12-12 with seven minutes remaining.  The Bengals were not done yet; Running Rabbit scored her third goal, giving Buffalo its first lead since the second quarter and Anna Cinquino made it 14-12 with just over four minutes left.

But the Lakers refused to let their season slip away.  With time running out, Winn stepped up in the clutch, scoring twice in 21 seconds to tie the game at 14.  Buffalo’s costly foul provided Oswego with one more opportunity and Hill buried her fourth of the game on a free-position shot with only 13 seconds left on the clock.

Buffalo’s final attempt to tie was blocked by the Lakers’ defense and the horn sounded, sending the Lakers into a frenzy.  Hill’s game-winner, combined with Aubriana Green’s outstanding midfield play on draw controls, secured a shocking 15-14 victory and a spot in the SUNYAC championship.

It was a game that had everything; momentum changes, strong defense and spectacular goals and it will surely go down as one of the most thrilling SUNYAC semifinals in recent memory.

The Lakers move on to face the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. The same Red Dragons that beat the SUNY New Paltz Hawks 17-3 in the other semi-finals match. The same Red Dragons that have won 24 out of the 27 SUNYAC championships. The same Red Dragons who were undefeated against the Lakers for almost 25 years, key word “were” as the Lakers beat Cortland this year by a score of 10-8 in Oswego. 

And that is where the Red Dragons will have to travel again, Lakers country. Tune in to see the Oswego State women’s lacrosse team take on SUNY Cortland on May 3 at 1 p.m. at the Laker Turf Stadium. Come show out for your fellow Lakers.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics