Before leaving for Notre Dame de Namur University following the 2007 season, Joe Kerwin was the Oregon club men’s lacrosse head coach for two years. He led the Ducks to an overall record of 35-8 that was highlighted by a trip to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championship game.
Kerwin returned to the University for the 2010 campaign, and early indications are that his second tenure in the green and yellow will have a similar level of success as his first.
The Ducks dominated their two games in the season-opening Pac-10 Shootout in Seattle over the weekend. On Saturday, Oregon downed California 14-7 and on Sunday, the Ducks crushed Stanford 12-6.
“Overall, I think we’re very happy with the how the weekend went,” Duck captain Justin Blackmore said. “We played and handily beat two ranked teams, which helps our confidence as well as teach us what we need to work on.”
After a slow start to the team’s season opener against Cal on Saturday, the Ducks outscored the Golden Bears 12-5 in the final three quarters as Oregon found its offensive rhythm.
“We came out a little slow,” club coordinator Robbie McLellarn said. “The game was kind of tight in the first quarter in the half, then right before halftime we put in a few goals, and then in the second half we really rolled them.”
Sunday’s 12-6 defeat of Stanford unfolded in the reverse manner. After a fast start, the Ducks withstood a rally from the Cardinal to earn their second victory in as many days.
“We came out hot in that game; got out to a quick lead then kind of slowed down,” McLellarn said. “I think (we won for the same reasons we did) Saturday — our defense and goalkeeping were outstanding.”
Nick Johnston spent most of the weekend in net for the Ducks, and will be counted on throughout the season to keep the opposition at bay.
“Nick played the majority and played a great few games,” Blackmore said. “This is nothing new. He’s an incredible goalie and played to his level this weekend.”
Offensively, attacker Sean Silverstein led the Ducks with four goals and one assist between the two contests while attacker Max Schlesinger added three goals and two assists.
“It was a good weekend for us,” McLellarn said. “It was a good two games. It’s kind of nice to have those two first wins under our belt, and it gives us some confidence going into the rest of the season.”
The Ducks return 33 players from last year’s top-25 squad and have high hopes for this year. After two convincing victories to begin the season, Kerwin seems to have a better understanding of his team’s potential.
“We need to continue to improve each day,” he said. “We have a lot of potential. We can be a lot better than we were this weekend.”
The Ducks will have to improve to achieve a pair of ambitious goals, as identified by McLellarn.
“The last time coach Kerwin was here, we made it all the way to the national championship game and that’s somewhere we definitely want to be again this year,” McLellarn said. “Our primary goal is winning our conference (the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League) championship, and the second goal is always the MCLA championship.”
Oregon’s main competition in the PNCLL is undoubtedly Simon Fraser University, a school located in British Columbia. The Clan won the last two PNCLL titles after Oregon won four straight earlier in the decade.
“We’re really looking to get back at them this year, looking to get that trophy back,” McLellarn said.
To do that, the team will need to continue to work hard on the practice field and continue to work on its offensive attack.
“(We need to) keep bringing it in practice, continue to take care of our bodies, and maintain the hunger to get better everyday,” Blackmore said.
Kerwin added, “Offensively, we need to find our rhythm. We have the players, we just need to get into a flow.”
The Ducks will have another chance to fine-tune their offensive attack when they battle the University of Montana this Sunday at the artificial turf fields next to the Student Recreation Center. The contest begins at 1 p.m. and will mark the beginning of PNCLL play.
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