The Clan lacrosse team continued its season with a road trip down to Boise, ID, going 1-1 over the weekend in a double header against #4 Brigham Young University and conference opponent Boise State University,
The preparation for Saturday’s game versus BYU was almost military-like; no one but the coaches spoke, as the team steeled itself for a game it had been working toward all semester. But after fighting tooth and nail until the final buzzer, the Clan fell short 8–7 to the BYU Cougars.
The Cougars came out firing, outscoring the Clan 6–2 in the first half. After settling their nerves the Clan came out hot in the second half, scoring four straight and keeping the Cougars scoreless for almost 25 minutes. In the end, the Cougars tallied two goals off unsettled plays in the dying minutes to jump ahead 8-6.
SFU refused to back down, though, as Tyler Kirkby found Travis Hayes in the middle to bring the game to within one, late. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Clan would get as the Cougars maintained possession of the ball for the final two minutes, barely staving off the SFU rally.
Tyler Kirkby lead the game offensively for SFU, potting two goals and two assists, while Sam Clare also netted a pair. Senior goaltender Darren Zwack had a strong game, making 13 saves on 21 shots, walking away with an admirable .619 save percentage. The Clan’s penalty kill also stood strong, shutting down all seven of the man-up opportunities BYU had over the course of the game.
The team, disappointed with the tough loss, still proved that it is a top contender in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), and that a spot in the national tournament final is well within reach.
In their second game of the weekend, against Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) rival Boise State Broncos, the Clan came out firing on all cylinders and didn’t let up for the full 60 minutes. Thirteen different Clan players recorded points in the 27–5 trouncing over the Broncos.
Sam Clare had six goals on the game while eight SFU players
had multiple-point performances. Tyler Kirkby’s five goals gives him 12 on the year, and his 15 points put him first in the PNCLL and seventh in the MCLA in scoring.
Goalies Darren Zwack (10 saves on 12 shots) and freshman Jeremy Lasher (five saves on eight shots) split the game in net.
The Clan’s next home game is against long time PNCLL rival, University of Oregon Ducks on March 1 at Terry Fox Field.
