The Oswego State men’s lacrosse team split their most recent two-game stretch, defeating SUNY New Paltz days after falling to SUNY Oneonta on the road.

The Lakers (9-4, 3-3 SUNYAC) are back to .500 in conference play and sit at fifth in the conference after Wednesday’s results around the league.

In the first game Oswego struggled in Oneonta, falling to the Red Dragons by a score of 20-10.

The Lakers tacked on three goals in the first seven minutes, before the Red Dragons came soaring in to score five unanswered and take a 7-3 lead. The Red Dragons showcased their prominent man-up unit in crunch time of the first quarter, as Tommy Hyland received a pass from behind the net and launched it past goalie Seamus Hand during a power play.

The Lakers trimmed the deficit to a pair of goals to begin the second quarter, but much like the first, dominance from Oneonta’s side remained. The Red Dragons tallied 11 goals between the second and third quarters, while allowing just three from the Lakers. The Red Dragons forced twelve turnovers from the visitors in the second half and goalie Mark Restivo stood on his head to make eight saves during the same span.

The Lakers attempted to recuperate in the final quarter, netting three goals, but it was too little and too late. A pair of consecutive goals from Aidan Boyle signaled the end of the contest and put the cap on a dominant 20-10 win for Oneonta, who moved to 8-7 on the year after a win over Plattsburgh State on Wednesday, April 22.

Against New Paltz on April 22, the Lakers controlled the pace in the first quarter, tallying three goals while allowing just one. Junior Garrett Elston, who finished the day with a game-best six goals, accounted for two of them. Elston put his quickness on display during the second goal, where off a feed from Doryn Leclair, he rushed to the middle of the field and sniped it past multiple defenders.

The Hawks tightened up on defense in the second quarter, though, allowing just two goals while burying four of their own. They tied the game up at five goals apiece with 20 seconds to go in the first half, as an unsuccessful shot from Ryan Behringer led to a clear from New Paltz. Then, coming out of a timeout, the Hawks used picture-perfect offensive movement to get the ball to Finn Smith at the top, where the sophomore buried it from far out to cap off the second quarter.

During the first half, the Lakers never allowed New Paltz to take a lead, and that headline stayed its course for the remainder of the game. The Hawks tied things up with four seconds to go in the third quarter, but the Lakers stood tall on defense in the final frame, outscoring the Hawks 6-2. Elston put the finishing touches on a 15-10 victory with the final goal, highlighting a strong second half from the Lakers.

With just a game to go in the year, the sixth-seeded Lakers are currently projected to miss out on the SUNYAC playoffs. Their final contest is a critical one against SUNY Potsdam, which is currently seeded third in the conference, set for Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m on the road.