Last time the University of Oregon men’s lacrosse team took the field was May last year. They ended their short yet undefeated season with a win over in-state rival Oregon State. The 12-8 win was dedicated to their late head coach and UO community legend Charlie Jackson.
This year is also the second for head coach Peter Harris. Harris was both a former player and coach under the late Jackson.
“A lot of the culture that I have been implementing with the Ducks comes from the second family Charlie [Jackson] helped provide me when he coached me in high school, and when I was able to coach with him in college,” Harris wrote on the team’s Instagram.
After coach Jackson passed away during the 2019-2020 season, one of the assistant coaches stepped up for the rest of the year until the pandemic shut the season down. Once the season ended, the coach left because of commitment conflicts and Harris was hired for the 2020-2021 season.
“It hasn’t always run smoothly as Harris is a first time college coach, and a lot of the officers are new to running a program,” fifth-year captain Sam Criscola said. “During those rough patches, I was in talks with Harris and the officers daily to figure out the best approach for both sides.”
Criscola is one of the most involved players in the club. He was vice president his junior year and president his senior year. His current role is team captain and advisor to the officers.
“I respect Harris for his dedication and his passion for lacrosse,” Criscola said.
For many players along with Criscola, this was technically their fourth coach in five years.
“His visions for the program were always clear and achievable,” former team manager Tatum Reece, who graduated in June last year after managing the team for three years, said.
The men’s team geared up to begin their 2022 season this past weekend in Northern California for a two-game road trip. Opening up its season, Oregon faced Dominican University last Friday — the same school the Ducks opened their last season with. However, the outcome was not the same as last year. The Ducks fell short in overtime, 16-15.
The Ducks then faced No. 6 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — the highest ranked opponent they played against this year so far. While a comeback came close in the last two quarters after being down 7-2 at halftime, the Ducks fell to Cal Poly 12-10.
During the offseason, Oregon remained busy in fall for early training. During the month of October last year, they opened up for tryouts to join the club team.
In December 2021, the team released their schedule for the 2022 season, a full 12-game slate spanning February through April. The Ducks will be facing Washington and Simon Fraser — two conference schools they haven’t faced in two years because of their shortened season in 2021.
“I’m really excited to play Oregon State this year,” rookie captain Nathan Fix said. “It is always a competitive game that brings out the best in both teams.”
Although the rough start for this season, there is still much excitement for what this team can do this year.
“We believe we have a good enough team to win both the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League championship and the national championships,” Fix said.
The Ducks’ home opener is Saturday, February 19th against the University of Nevada Reno — a game they hope to bounce back and continue their goal for a fifth straight PNCLL.
