By Nicholas Serrata, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Freshman Pat Reilly (left) has recorded at least three goals in each of Brockport's last three games, which all ended in victories.

Lakers don’t bother Eagles, neither does Storm
By Dan Longnecker
STAFF WRITER

If there were any doubts about the amount of success the men’s lacrosse team might achieve, those questions have been answered. The Golden Eagles went 2-0 this past week, strongly stating they are a team to be reckoned with.

Brockport defeated a decent Keuka team 12-8 and then achieved its first State University of New York Athletic Conference win over Oswego, 10-3. The two wins extended the Golden Eagles’ record to 6-1 overall.

Brockport had its first official home game Saturday, April 7 against SUNYAC rival Oswego. The game was the first conference game of the season for the team, so it was a match-up that wasn’t taken lightly.

The second half of the game was a totally different story from the first half. At halftime the score was a 5-3 advantage for Brockport. It looked like the game was headed for a tight finish, when the Golden Eagles took control, dominating the opposition for the last 30 minutes of play.

Brockport completely shut down the Lakers’ offense, holding them scoreless for the rest of the game. In its first game on their home field the team didn’t disappoint its home crowd.

Although the Eagles got smoked on the face-off X, losing 14 of 16 face-offs, they controlled the tempo of the game. Freshman Pat Reilly had his third consecutive game with at least a hat trick. He scored three goals and added three assists.

Joe Aquilina, Adam Drypolcher and Kyle Baker added two goals of their own, while Joe Gomez finished the game with one goal. The defense shut out the Lakers for three whole quarters and only allowed three goals on 30 shots. Sophomore goalie Garret Allwes made 11 saves to help tame the opponents’ offense.

Three days earlier, on Wednesday, April 4, Brockport left Keuka with another well-earned victory to add to its reputable record. The Storm, at 2-2, coming from a tough one-goal overtime loss to Potsdam, was looking to get back on track with a win.

Brockport, however, had other plans. Thanks to Reilly’s red-hot six-point performance, Brockport was able to take care of business yet again.

Brad Olzinski, Drypolcher and Gomez took part in the scoring frenzy by contributing two goals each. Gavin Bortz, Baker and Dave McAlpin all scored once in the contest.

Just as it had in past games, the defense did its job again, holding another opponent to single digits. Keuka couldn’t capitalize against the rock solid defense. The Storm ended up 0-for-5 on the day with extra-man opportunities. Junior goaltender Matt Staalesen recorded 19 saves.

“We have never been 6-1 or 1-0 in SUNYAC at the halfway point in our schedule,” head coach Ben Wineburg said. “I told the kids to enjoy this accomplishment with their teammates, friends, and family this holiday weekend, but be ready to get back to work on Monday. Our mental approach is one day at time, one game at a time and having some fun as well.”

The Golden Eagles can’t celebrate for too long, because they have another tough week ahead of them. Today the team has its second conference game against a tough Geneseo squad. The Blue Knights enter the game with a 3-3 record, with every loss resulting in two goals or less.

The team travels to Potsdam Saturday, April 14 to take on the Bears in another SUNYAC match-up.

With the season about half over, it looks like the team is starting to jell better and play more effectively. “I think we are slowly getting better with every practice and game that we play,” Wineburg said. “I am extremely proud of our young men at this point in the season, but we cannot be satisfied. We must continue to remain focused and I expect them to work hard every day so we can reach our goal.”