Winning a fourth-straight Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League title over the weekend in Tacoma, Wash. was not a huge surprise for the No. 1-seed Oregon club men’s lacrosse team, coach Joe Kerwin said.
“When we have our confidence and when we play well, we believe we can win,” Kerwin said.
That confidence, junior attack Josh Schane explained, has spawned from a 40 players deep roster, smart play, team chemistry, and a belief that the Ducks can hold their own against anyone.
“We bring that every time we play,” Schane said.
After winning all six of its regular season PNCLL games, Oregon tacked on two more wins with a 16-7 victory against No. 4 Boise State on Saturday and a 22-7 win against No. 2 Simon Fraser in the PNCLL Championship match on Sunday.
Junior attack Josh Schane, who netted four goals against the Broncos and three more against the Clan, said he wasn’t expecting to receive the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
“It was a shock,” Schane said. “The goals were just going in, and I have to give credit to Clay (Knope) and Julian (Coffman). It was a team win (and) everyone played in both games.”
No. 3 Oregon (17-2, 8-0 PNCLL) racked up several league awards while picking up its fifth and sixth consecutive victories of the year. Scott Miller, a senior midfielder, was given league Most Valuable Player honors. For a second straight year, Coffman, the PNCLL Division-A scoring leader, was awarded PNCLL Offensive Player of the Year. Todd Jolly, a senior defender, was named the league Defensive Player of the Year.
Against Boise State, Oregon used an eight-goal run to beat the Broncos for a second time this year. Knope recorded two goals and two assists. Miller went 15-for-17 on face-offs. On Sunday against Simon Fraser, junior Kevin Jewett scored four goals to help propel the Ducks to victory.
“I don’t know that Fraser touched the ball the whole second quarter,” Kerwin said. “We went on a big run in the second quarter and put the game away.”
The Ducks are now switching their focus to the MCLA National Tournament, where Schane said the Ducks will likely play as a No. 3 seed. Schane said he feels Oregon is under the radar nationally, and he said that’s just fine with them.
“Most people see us as a bunch of scrubs from Oregon,” Schane said. “They don’t know how we play. We come with a lot of intensity and once we get on a run, we can be unstoppable.”
The squad will compete in the tournament May 15-19 in Dallas, Texas. The Ducks have been there the past three seasons; they lost in the quarterfinals the last two years and were defeated in 2006 by Arizona in the first round. Schane said the ultimate goal has been clear all season long: To win a National Championship.
“Come playoff time, everyone wants to come out and show what they’ve got,” Schane said. “We’ve got a good shot if we keep playing the way we have been.”