Bronco lacrosse tramples No. 7 Ducks

By Eric Nelson

With a 7-6 victory over No. 7 Oregon last Sunday, the men's club lacrosse team instantly lent credibility to their claim as one of the top contenders for this year's West Coast Lacrosse League title. The victory bumps the Broncos to 2-0 on the season.

The Broncos sprinted to a 2-0 lead over the Ducks after the first quarter, but Oregon came storming back to tie the game going into halftime.

"Even though the game was tied at halftime, we really started believing that we could beat those guys after the first two goals," said junior midfielder Jason Travis.

However, after the third quarter the Broncos found themselves down by a goal and pitted against an opposing goalie that had been nominated for Preseason Player of the Year.

Santa Clara responded with poise: a 3-1 run in the fourth capped by a game-tying goal from sophomore attacker Erik Samuels despite being knocked out mid shot.

First to the senseless Samuels was junior midfielder Joe O'Brien.

"It was wild being one of the first ones to get to Erik while he was still knocked out," said O'Brien. "When coach picked him up and he finally came to, all he could say was ‘right on the button!'"

The next goal went on to seal a victory against a team that many experts had predicted would make a run at the final four in this year's Division I club finals.

"Let's just say Gordon Bombay and his mighty Ducks should have saved themselves a 14 hour bus ride and stayed up in Oregon this weekend cause Broncos lax went on a rampage," said and exuberant O'Brien.

"Our defense really contested every shot, and every time they managed to get some momentum we countered really well," said Travis. "Our shot efficiency was through the roof."

And with only 18 shots on goal compared to Oregon's 46, it is apparent that Santa Clara made their shots count.

Topping off the Broncos' successful outing against Oregon was freshman midfielder Robbie Inch's hat trick.

"We were fired up to play from the start and kept it up through the whole game," said junior captain Alex Miller. "It's awesome to see all the rookies stepping up. I was blown away by Robbie Inch's hat trick, he really solidified his place on the team and got a lot of respect from all of us."

Veterans are difficult to spot on the Broncos' lineup, primarily due to the fact that the team is home to 18 rookies.

"One of the main obstacles was just assimilating all of them into the family and getting them to buy into the system," says Miller. "I feel like our team unity between the different classes is what really sets us apart from past teams."

Travis added that the team was negatively affected by a conflict of interest between coaches and players, but that this season everyone is on the same page.

It will be this newfound sense of collaboration and chemistry between the players and coaches that will best serve the young team as they head into the heart of their season. With matches against No. 12 Santa Barbara and No. 15 Loyola Marymount this weekend, Santa Clara's consistency will be put to the test.

"We know exactly what we need to do going into each game to be successful," said Miller. "It's just a matter of going out there and putting it into action."

Contact Eric Nelson at ehnelson@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.