The Oswego State men's soccer team opened SUNYAC play with a 3-1 loss to Oneonta on Friday afternoon at Laker Turf Stadium. Oswego is now 3-3-1 overall and 0-1-0 in conference action while the Red Dragons, who are receiving votes in the latest NSCAA Top 25 poll, moves to 5-2-1, 1-0-0.
Oneonta struck first exactly 13 minutes into the contest, as Greg Silvestro dribbled in from just outside the top-left corner of the box and put a shot into the bottom right corner of the net. That score would hold into the break as neither team was able to notch a tally over the final 32 minutes of the opening period.
Silvestro helped increase the Red Dragon advantage in the second half, this time finding teammate Jared Van Brunt to make it a 2-0 game. Oswego kept battling throughout the contest and finally broke through in the final five minutes. Sophomore Connor Lunduski used some fancy footwork to get his defender off balance before rocketing a pass into the box. The pass deflected off of Lunduski's opponent and caromed into the air towards the far post. Junior Harrison Rieber made a run towards the far post, out-leaping his Oneonta counterpart and heading the ball off the turf and into the back of the net.
Despite cutting the Red Dragon margin to just one with 4:38 remaining, Oneonta quickly made it a two-goal edge again, answering with a goal just 12 seconds later.
Laker goalie Todd Lawson played all 90 minutes, making four saves in the outing.
Oswego will continue its Alumni Weekend at 12 p.m. on Saturday when it hosts New Paltz in a league matchup.
