The Oswego State men’s soccer team (2-4-1) started its SUNYAC campaign with a loss to the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils (4-2-4) by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Before this contest, the Lakers had dropped two consecutive matches before conference play kicked off. Unfortunately for them, that benchmark extended to three, as a defensive-oriented Fredonia squad stood tall in a 1-0 victory at Laker Turf.

Fredonia held a majority of the possession in the first half of the game, keeping the Lakers at bay with a physical and calculated playstyle. The Blue Devils prided themselves on an aggressive backline, holding the Lakers to only two shots while they managed to launch five. Even with multiple opportunities, both teams were able to get nothing on the board heading into halftime. 

Momentum swayed Fredonia’s way in the second half, though, as defender Ryan Ameis snuck one past goalkeeper Kyle Rose off of a corner kick. After Fredonia set the tone to begin the final frame, the Lakers knew they had to start generating more pressure offensively – and they did just that. 

The homesquad generated opportunities left and right following the goal, although opposing keeper Thomas McDonald used his gymnast-like abilities to fend off everything that came his way. He was forced to make an excellent diving save on the Lakers leading goal scorer, Ian Husselbeck, midway through the second half. As the half continued to roll on, the Lakers started to become more aggressive in their defensive stance, using their body to outmuscle ball handlers and flip possessions. Unfortunately for them, the strong tendencies failed to generate offense, as the Blue Devils used their size advantage to push their opponents into tough corners. 

They ultimately emerged victorious, blanking the Lakers 1-0 in both squads’ SUNYAC opener. McDonald ended with five saves, all of which Oswego made him work for. On the offensive end, though, offensive success was hard to come by.

“There wasn’t a lot going for us in the first half – combinations weren’t great, touches weren’t great, passes weren’t great and our movement off the ball isn’t where it needs to be,” Dan Kane, head men’s soccer coach, said. “We credit some of that to them, as they made life difficult but we didn’t handle it too well.”

Now on a three-game losing streak with not a goal scored since Sept. 20, the Lakers will look to rebound in a matchup against nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland on Oct. 3.