Oswego State Women’s Lacrosse Upsets No. 9 Brockport in Comeback Fashion
OSWEGO — Gemma O’Kane scored the winning goal with 1:59 remaining, giving the Oswego State women’s lacrosse team a 13–12 upset victory over ninth-ranked Brockport 13–12 on Saturday at Laker Turf Stadium.
Oswego State is 6–2 in the SUNY Athletic Conference and 11–3 overall.
Brockport is 6–2 in the SUNYAC and 13–2 overall.
O’Kane and Esther Gabriel each finished with five goals for the Lakers. Jayme McCreary, Erannan Shattuck, and Lindsey Eggers scored a goal apiece.
Teresa Shattuck dished out six assists, with Emily Lange and Erannan Shattuck getting one assist each. Goalie Angela Ponto made 10 saves.
Makensie Schuber had four goals and Hannah Cullen and Jessica Boddery each notched three for Brockport. Hailey Boronczyk had two goals. In net, Sara Shaddock stopped nine shots.
Brockport led 8–7 at halftime, but the Lakers controlled much of the second half to pull off the upset.
It made for a memorable Senior Day for Oswego State. The Lakers honored seniors Lange, McCreary, Erannan Shattuck, Gabriel, Heather Titanic, Eggers, and Erin Ganley for their contributions to the program.
The seniors and the rest of the Lakers aren’t done yet. They will host Potsdam at 4 p.m. Tuesday in a SUNYAC playoff game. Oswego State is the fourth seed, and Potsdam is seeded fifth.
“We played Potsdam less than a week ago in Potsdam and we played very well, winning 19–8, but everyone starts off now with a 0–0 record,” Oswego State coach Brandi Lusk said. “It’s going to be a dogfight, and we’re ready to go on Tuesday.”
The Lakers’ final game of the regular season proved to be a battle as well.
Gabriel cut through the middle and put the Lakers on the board first at the 28:18 mark with an unassisted goal. Gabriel netted another goal less than three minutes later. A player-advantage goal by Eggers and a marker by O’Kane made it 4–0.
Brockport scored the next six goals for a 6–4 lead. Cullen and Boronczyk scored two each during the spurt.
The Lakers stormed back with goals by Gabriel and McCreary on free-position shots to knot the contest at 6–6 with 7:58 left in the first half.
Brockport outscored the Lakers 2–1 for the rest of the half, taking an 8–7 lead at the break.
Lusk said the Lakers started off strong with the offense composed and the defense taking risks that were leading to positive results. She said the Lakers competed well with a tough, nationally ranked opponent.
The tight battle continued in the second half. The Lakers began with three straight goals. After an Eggers shot was stopped, O’Kane scooped up a ground ball, cut down the middle, and scored. O’Kane scored again three minutes later with an assist from Teresa Shattuck to put the Lakers up 9–8.
“I feel like our younger players are very self-motivated right now,” Lusk said. “As a small team we’re relying on the underclassmen a lot, but so far all they’ve done is deliver for our upperclassmen and seniors.”
Brockport bounced back with three consecutive goals. Cullen scored off a Taylor Thomas assist, followed by a pair of Schuber scores for an 11–10 lead with 12:19 to play.
Goals by O’Kane and Gabriel gave the lead back to the home team, 12–11, with 7:16 to go. Brockport’s Boddery tied it with 6:45 remaining.
That set the stage for the winning goal by O’Kane. Lange scooped up a loose ball outside of Oswego State’s offensive zone. As she ran toward the game, the cluttered Brockport defense lost sight of O’Kane. Lange passed the ball to O’Kane in front of the net, and O’Kane scored with 1:59 left.
Brockport controlled the ensuing draw and got a shot on goal, but Ponto made the save. The Eagles had one final scoring opportunity, but Lange blocked a pass and Zeina Akl won the ground ball to end the threat.
“I’m really excited for this postseason,” Lusk said. “Our lacrosse team is small but we have a lot of potential, a lot of skill. I feel like this senior class will go out with a bang. I think we have a very strong team and I’m confident we’ll have a great tournament.”
