With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Geneseo men’s lacrosse team is looking to keep its playoff chances alive. The Knights sit at 2-3 in the conference, and winning their final game against SUNY Potsdam might just be enough to stay ahead of SUNY Oneonta and sneak into the SUNYAC tournament.
It is not going to be easy, however, since Potsdam is second in the conference standings, sitting right beneath SUNY Cortland.
The Knights are still just taking one game at a time, as they have been all season.
“You do yourself a disservice when you look ahead … we like to focus on the here and now,” head coach Jim Lyons said.
The Knights took on No. 1 Cortland on Tuesday April 22 and lost 14-3. The loss was uncharacteristic for the Knights during a season marked by its close games. The Red Dragons blew it open early with five goals in the first quarter. Despite being shut out in the second, Cortland scored six in the third – after which the score was 11-3. Geneseo only took 10 shots in the game to the Red Dragons’ 33.
Facing the top two teams in the conference to close the season is not something any team would necessarily want, but the good news for Geneseo is that they get to play their last game at home – something that they have not been able to do a whole lot this season. The Knights have only played two games at home so far, mainly due to the poor weather.
Lyons believes that being able to close out the season at home will end up being a huge bonus for his team.
“It’s fantastic. There’s no doubt that having to travel wears on you,” he said. “Playing at home is fantastic, playing at home in nice weather is even better. It’s a great reward for a long season.”
The Knights will have to win their last game to get into the conference tournament, and if they do, they will end up traveling to an opposing team’s field, depriving them of a home game that they would much rather prefer.
The goal in the beginning of the season was simple: to make the NCAA tournament. That goal is still within reach for the Knights. They just need to take advantage of the final homestand of the season.