The smell of roasted duck wafted over the Burnaby campus after the Clan lacrosse squad finished off long-time rival and Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) powerhouse #12 University of Oregon Ducks, tripling them 15–5.
The Ducks, normally a top contender in the PNCLL and Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), couldn’t hold it together against the consistency and speed of the Clan, hungry for a big win at home. And after shoveling a foot of snow off the field for seven hours so they could practice and play on their home field, the win was even sweeter.
The Clan dominated everything right from the get-go, controlling offensive possessions, loose balls, shots and defensive stands; the Ducks only beat the Clan in face offs, winning 57 per cent.
SFU, meanwhile, came out firing early, going up 3–0 in the first seven minutes, though the Ducks managed to fight back, evening the score at three by the end of the first quarter. But that’s as close as they would get, as the Clan outshot the Ducks 33–24 over the game, and their offence just kept rolling.
SFU made it 6–4 at the half and then went on a dominant 9–1 run in the second half, keeping the Ducks scoreless for the entire third quarter. The 15–5 loss gave the Ducks, who haven’t had any success against ranked opponents, their worst loss of the season and gave SFU a boost of confidence heading into the season’s second half.
The usual suspects led the way for SFU offensively. Tyler Kirkby continued his strong season with four goals and one assist, while Sam Clare and Lyndon Knuttila tallied four goals apiece. Five Clan players recorded assists to get themselves on the score sheet as well.
The MVP of the game however, was senior goaltender Darren Zwack who stood as solid as the walls of the AQ, backing an already rock solid defence by stopping 19 of 24 shots for a season high .792 save percentage, one of his career bests. His season save percentage, now an impressive .697, earned a boost as well.
But most importantly, this was the first time in four years the Clan have beaten the Ducks. With the win the Clan improve their record to 3–0 in their division and 4–1 on the season, claiming sole possession of first place in the PNCLL and moving up two spots in the MCLA rankings to #12, while Oregon drops to #15.
The Clan play in Washington this Friday, March 17, against the University of Utah Utes before hitting the road for almost the rest of the month, but the schedule only gets tougher from here.
Upcoming games against ranked opponents include #3 Arizona State, #23 Arizona, and #25 Oregon State. But with the season the Clan have had so far, there’s no reason the winning can’t continue through to the PNCLL Championships at season’s end.
