The Oswego State women’s soccer team fell to 10th place in the SUNYAC standings after going 0-1-1 in their last two games. 

The Lakers began their two-game stretch at home, facing off against a strong Cortland side on Oct. 3. Both teams made their mark early, with junior forward Kaylee Elliot getting the Lakers on the board with a precise strike past the diving goalkeeper. The Red Dragons answered quickly, though, as forward Piper Klammer headed a throw-in pass to the back of net, knotting things up at one goal apiece. It was all Red Dragons from that point on, with Klammer scoring her second goal at the 10-minute mark, followed by another goal from Cassia Schuyler one minute later to extend Cortland’s lead to 3-1. 

The Lakers did their best to claw back, holding the Red Dragons to no shots on goal in the second half, but were unable to capitalize. A few late shots from Luna Catano-Matip and Julia Carter were not enough, and the Lakers fell 3-1. Goalkeeper Lucy Starzyk compiled a notable performance, making five saves on eight shots to increase her season-long save percentage to .711. 

Looking to even things out after their loss to Cortland, the Lakers traveled to Coyer Field to face off against Buffalo State on Oct. 7.

The first half saw both teams going back and forth, and it was not until early in the second half that someone eventually broke through. Olivia Davis earned her first goal of the year in the 49th minute, breaking the scoreless drought. The Bengals then turned things around, though, flipping defense to offense as forward Mackenzie Below launched a high-arcing shot past any reach of a Laker, tying things up 1-1. It remained a back-and-forth affair from there, as the game ended with an unsuccessful last-second shot attempt from Oswego’s Luna Catano-Matip.

The Bengals did an excellent job of neutralizing forward Kyla Sustad, who has been a threat to defenses all season. All four of her shots on goal were unsuccessful, while the Lakers’ defense also proved powerful by holding the Bengals to just four shots on goal.

The Lakers concluded the match with their second tie in their last three games, now sitting at 2-6-2 (0-1-2) on the season. They will look to earn their first win since Sept. 11 in a match against Plattsburgh State tomorrow, set for Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. on Laker Turf.