It usually isn’t fair to make sweeping conclusions about a team after only four games. But it is safe to claim the Oregon men’s lacrosse team has one of the deepest rosters in the nation.
In starting out the year 4-0 with wins over Cal and Stanford in early February, then Montana and Santa Clara the last two weekends, the Ducks have mostly followed the same pattern: stay close in the first half, then dominate in the second.
When other teams begin to tire in the latter parts of games, Oregon is running on all cylinders.
Take the Ducks’ home game against Montana on Feb. 21 for example. After a close first quarter, Oregon outscored the Grizzlies 19-2 over the final three periods for an easy
21-4 win.
“It wasn’t any trouble at all,” club coordinator Robbie McLellarn said. “We had a lot more depth and all around more talented guys. I don’t think any of their players could really hang with us. I mean, all of our guys outplayed all of their guys and we came out on top.”
On paper, Saturday’s home game against Santa Clara University seemed like a more challenging task. Santa Clara had a 2-1 record entering the contest and was playing well.
But just like the previous weekend, the Ducks’ depth proved to be too much for their opponent to handle. After a close first half, Oregon simply wore down Santa Clara and ended up cruising to a 15-4 decision.
“One thing that was important in the success of these two wins was our effort and our ability to outrun and wear down these teams,” Justin Blackmore said. “Every team we have played so far has had a significantly smaller bench and we have been able to use this to our advantage by wearing teams down.”
Head coach Joe Kerwin singled out a trio of players for their commendable play over the two games.
“(Nick Johnston) is starting to hit his stride,” Kerwin said. “Max Schlesinger on attack is getting himself open. Mike Gerrard is doing a good job of leading the defense and keeping everyone on the same page.”
With the pair of victories, the Ducks improved their overall record to 4-0 (1-0 Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League), and cemented their status as one of the premier teams in the country. The latest Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (the national governing body for men’s non-varsity lacrosse) rankings pegged Oregon as the ninth-best team in the country.
The Ducks will have a chance to rise even further in the rankings if they are able to survive a tough stretch of games in the next few weeks.
“I think we’re looking pretty optimistic,” McLellarn said. “If we can beat Washington this weekend and Portland State in a few weeks, we’ll be undefeated headed into a game against the No. 1 team in Michigan, the University of Michigan. That’s right where we want
to be.”
McLellarn attributes much of the Ducks’ early season success to the return of Kerwin, who came back to Oregon this year following a two-year stint at Notre Dame de Namur University.
“Having coach Kerwin back has really paid dividends for us,” McLellarn said. “He’s a great coach, and the team’s looking fantastic.”
With the Duck’s early season success in mind, there are some obvious parallels between this year’s squad and Oregon’s 2008 team — the last team Kerwin coached before heading off to Notre Dame de Namur.
The 2008 squad reached the MCLA title game and featured strong depth at critical positions. But Kerwin thinks the 2010 Duck squad might actually have the upper hand athletically.
“We’re just as athletic if not more,” Kerwin said. “Even with the easier schedule we’ve had to start, they’re still working hard and staying motivated.”
The Ducks wouldn’t be satisfied with another second-place finish. That’s why they continue to work hard despite an impressive start to the season that could lead to complacency.
“Our team offense needs to improve, and because of our competition we’re going to have to learn to play at a higher, faster level,” Blackmore said. “I do believe our shooting can always improve, as well as team speed. We’ll see though; different teams expose different weaknesses, and right now for us it’s an overall sharpness of play that we need to improve upon.”
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