The Oswego State women’s soccer season ended in a theatrical three-overtime postseason opener on Saturday, Nov. 1, as they fell to the Fredonia Blue Devils in round one of the SUNYAC tournament.

The contest commenced with a stretch of undisciplined play, as a variety of fouls were committed by both squads. Bronwyn Madden and Gabrielle Irwin of the Blue Devils both put an attempt on net early on, but senior netminder Paytyn Crane stood tall, fending off the shots.

The Blue Devils continued to take advantage of the lackluster Lakers defense, as they produced chances left and right, with Anna Ratchuk, Mckenna Szmarz, Abby Herbst and Madden leading the charge. However, a flurry of those shots ended as miscalculated chances, while others were simply denied by the textbook talents of Crane.

Kyla Sustad took one to the bottom center of the box in the 44th minute, but the shot was quickly stopped by first-year goalkeeper Casey Fetzner–and both squads took to their respective benches, looking to regroup for the next period.

The second half started in a more favorable fashion than the first for the Lakers, as they implemented an offensive game plan that produced multiple chances–however, the Blue Devils defense stood the test, working to meet their opponent at the hip.

The Blue Devils struggled to turn the aforementioned hard-nosed defense into offense, though, as Lakers defenders Olivia Davis, Shea O’Rourke, Lauren O’Connell and Courtney Key collaborated to impose their physical will, rejecting potential conversions from the visiting squad. Furthermore, Crane continued to show out in her final year with the team, making four crucial saves in the second half.

Neither group could notch the go-ahead point, rendering a ten-minute overtime segment in the dramatic playoff match.

Besides Kaylee Elliot and Brianna Winkler entering the contest for the Lakers, and Szmarz for the Blue Devils, both teams rolled out the same lineups for overtime as they did in the previous two halves.

The overtime commenced at the sight of yet another balanced ground game, as the defensive abilities of both teams worked to neutralize each other’s attacks. For the Blue Devils, it was defenders Layla McLean, Carissa Shanahan and Kerrigan Driskell, who worked together to turn away possible equalizers from the Lakers–including a blocked shot in the 91st minute.

The Lakers were awarded two corner kicks in the 94th and 99th minute, but nothing came out of either, as a sea of blue jerseys stood tall to curb the cross. The period ended in the 100th minute, allowing yet another ten-minute interval to begin.

Elliot put a shot on net just 30 seconds into the new period, but the unlucky attempt bounced off the crossbar, followed by a misfired strike from Sustad in the 102nd minute. Two minutes later, Madden found herself with the ball in open space off of a feed from Brooke Grazen.

The forward sliced through the tight Lakers defense, navigated to the box, and launched the ball on net–and she converted. Teammates surrounded Madden as she attained the game-winning goal in the 104th minute and the Lakers were unable to find the back of the net for the remaining six minutes.

An ever-suspenseful postseason opener concluded as the Blue Devils clinched a spot in the semifinals–a match with Plattsburgh State, set for Nov. 5. The Lakers end the 2025 season with a record of 6-6-5, for a sixth place finish in the SUNYAC.