Much like the Oregon men’s basketball team, which was seeded third in the NCAA Tournament and beat a 14-seed in the first round, the No. 3 Oregon men’s club lacrosse team defeated No. 14 Lindenwood (Mo.) 13-10 on Tuesday at the 2007 MCLA National Tournament in Frisco, Texas.
In similar fashion to the men’s basketball team, the Ducks kept their composure from start to finish in a back-and-forth battle. Oregon eventually pulled away from its first-round opponent with the help of a freshman and a five-goal push late in the second half.
The Lions jumped out to a 2-0 advantage before Oregon senior Trevor Tesar and junior Josh Schane netted goals to even the score. After trading points, the Ducks went on a three-goal run to build a 6-3 lead at the 6:09 mark in the second period, beginning with a goal by senior scoring sensation Julian Coffman that gave Oregon the lead.
Freshman Justin Blackmore made an instant impact in his first national tournament. Blackmore nailed back-to-back goals to help strengthen Oregon’s advantage during the scoring drive. He said he was excited – and a little nervous.
“It was cool to get out there and it is so much more intense because if you lose you’re done,” Blackmore said.
Coffman said Blackmore’s effort was huge but not unexpected.
“No one was surprised by his performance,” Coffman said. “He has a distinctive type of play because he is short and shifty.”
The Ducks clinched a 7-4 lead at halftime. But trailing 8-5 with 10:46 in the third quarter, Lindenwood tied the game with a 3-0 run at the 5:21 mark of the period. The Ducks responded 21 seconds later when Tesar landed his second goal to ignite a five-goal run by Oregon, which included two from sophomore Clay Knope.
In the final minute, the Lions landed the match’s last two scores to make it a more respectable final score.
Tesar, who coach Joe Kerwin said has been under the radar all year, added a game-high five points off three goals and two assists.
“One of the midfielders on our line always has a breakout game and today was my game,” Tesar said.
Blackmore and Knope both netted three goals and added one assist each in the match. Coffman scored two goals and contributed an assist, while Austin Loranger scored a goal and recorded an assist.
The Ducks only received two penalties in the game while Lindenwood received eight. Oregon valued the opportunities to attack the Lions.
“The penalties helped a lot,” Coffman said. “We scored two or three goals off man-up opportunities.”
The Lions’ James Lange helped keep his team close, recording four of his five points in the second half.
“He was turning and ripping shots by us,” Coffman said.
Tesar said that Lindenwood was impressive as a 14-seed. “They jumped at us quickly, but a win is a win,” Tesar said.
Blackmore added that the Lions’ fast start didn’t faze the Ducks. Oregon has been in comeback situations before and knew how to respond, he said.
“They got tired and wore down,” Blackmore said. “We came out slow, but I think our offense was a little excited and people wanted to score. They hung around … I never felt like we were going to lose.”
With the win, Oregon will next meet the victor of the Minnesota-Duluth and Sonoma State game, which was played late Tuesday, in the quarterfinals today at 2 p.m. PST. Tesar said the victory provides momentum.
“Getting over that first hump is always kind of tough,” Tesar said. “Once we got that first one under our belts, we are more focused on just getting three more wins.”