The Geneseo men's lacrosse team, which is ranked ninth in the country, opened up SUNYAC play last Saturday, defeating the Oswego Lakers 12-5.
The Knights got off to a slow start in the first quarter, committing 10 turnovers and ending the period with a 2-2 tie. They were able to correct their mistakes though, outscoring Oswego 7-1 in the next two quarters. "I'm proud of the way we were resilient and pleased we played better in the second half," said head coach Jim Lyons.
Sophomore Brendan Kurpis, who has had a total of 18 goals in seven games, led the Knights with four goals and one assist. Freshman Tim Hayden and sophomore Jeff Watson each contributed with a pair of goals. Junior Craig Lange, who leads the team with his total 16 assists and 31 points, had a goal and three assists. The Knights totaled eight assists on their 12 goals.
"It's always good to have a majority of goals coming on assists," Lange said. "It shows how good the team is playing together."
"Anytime you can move the ball you can get easy goals," Lyons added. Both Lyons and Lange said they felt the team could have had even more goals if it was not for the play of Oswego's goalie. "I gotta [sic] give it to the other goalie," Lange said. "We could have scored five or six more goals."
"I think we left a lot of assists out there," Lyons said. "He had more saves but I think the better goalie was wearing white." That goalie, senior Dennis Costanza, made 11 saves and allowed just five goals over the course of the game.
Another reason for the victory was the play of senior Erik Baranowski. Baranowski won 16 of 20 faceoffs during the game, giving Geneseo plenty of opportunities to score.
"[Baranowski] turned it on last game," Lange said. "He helps everyone else out. He gives the defense a rest and the offense chances to score."
The Knights are now 6-1 on the season and will continue SUNYAC play Saturday when they host SUNY Potsdam.