The Clan fought tooth and nail to win their first conference game against rival Boise State Broncos 16–15 in overtime Friday, February 20. It was a back-and-forth game, with both teams fighting until the very end.
The Clan held the lead until the last few minutes of the game, when Boise went on a late-game run to steal the lead with 50 seconds left. With their lead cemented, the Broncos won the following faceoff and tried to run the clock out.
Freshmen Colton Edwards made a heroic defensive play, which caused a Boise turnover and sent the Clan on a last-ditch attack. This led to a series of quick passes that found junior attacker Iain Vickers open on the crease, allowing him to bury the ball with 0.3 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Overtime became two and a half minutes of speed and intensity, with senior midfielder Sam Clare showing the crowd why he’s one of the best players in the league, scoring with his strong hand on a solo drive that Boise State goaltender Ian Jameson had no chance of stopping.
According to Clare, the key to the Clan’s victory was their focus on getting ground balls and constantly pushing at 100 per cent, despite the adversity they faced.
“They made a bit of a run of the game and made it close,” he said. “It was really important that we kept pushing and that we stayed in the game.”
Clare led the team with six goals and two assists, followed by the regulation time hero Vickers with three goals and two assists, freshman attacker Greg Lunde with four goals and one assist, and junior attacker Lyndon Knuttila with three goals.
Sophomore goaltender Jeremy Lashar stood between the pipes for the full 60 minutes, stopping 13 of 28 shots for a save percentage of .464 on the game, bringing his season save percentage to .546.
The Clan are on the road for the with games against Arizona, Colorado State, and Chapman before returning to Terry Fox Field to take on long-time conference rival Washington Huskies on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m.
