The Oswego State men’s soccer team went 1-1 in their last two games, losing on Saturday against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and winning on Wednesday against Marywood University.

The match against RPI in Troy, New York, started off very slow. There was not a shot on goal by either team until Laker midfielder Simon Bastone ripped a shot that could not get past the goalkeeper. The contest proved to be a test of two defenses battling it out, as RPI was only able to muster up one shot on goal by halftime as well.

The first 10 minutes of the second half saw a total of three shots taken, until RPI’s offense finally booted a dagger into the back of the net in the 57th minute making the score 1-0. The goal came from Harrison Brownlow and stood to be the lone goal of the entire match.

While goalkeeper Kyle Rose and the Laker defense were able to hold up pretty consistently throughout the game, the offense was not able to capitalize on any opportunities.

However, in the next contest the Lakers seemed to find their stride against Marywood. The Lakers traveled to Dunmore, Pennsylvania, for this contest and secured their first win of the season.

The contest started out with two saved shots by Rose and a shot that ripped off the post by Laker midfielder Jason Wuytack. Both offenses tested the goalies throughout the first half with 10 shots being taken, but skilled defensive play made the score stand still at 0-0 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Laker offense wasted no time finding their way to the scoreboard in the second half. Midfielder Scout McCumiskey was able to tap in a corner kick assisted by Vladimir Lavrynenko and Bastone.

Oswego continued to push the pace on offense, and Cerixey Lindsay was able to bury a fast break goal into the back of the net off of an assist from Edis Omerovic in the 54th minute. The score then stood 2-0 in favor of the Lakers, and the Marywood Pacers were not able to stay disciplined for the rest of the game to force a comeback.

The Lakers drew a yellow card on the goalkeeper Ryan Schweigart in the 61st minute and were awarded a penalty kick on goal. Wuytack seized the opportunity for the Lakers and lasered the ball past newly substituted goalkeeper Kelton Ostrander.

The Lakers’ offense was able to do a great job of controlling the ball the rest of the game, shutting the window on any chance of a comeback for the Pacers. Oswego completed the shutout and the final score stood 3-0.

The Lakers were able to pick up a much-needed first win on the season to bring their record to 1-3-2. The squad will be back in action this Saturday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. at home against SUNY Delhi. They look to put their second win in the books and start rolling into the SUNYAC games with momentum.