The Colorado College men’s lacrosse team wrapped up regular season play with a pair of wins against Whittier College and Southwestern University at home this past weekend.
The Tigers improved their record to 12-3 overall and 6-0 at home, where they have outscored their opponents 87-34 this year. CC is hoping to earn one more game at Washburn Field when the brackets for the 2015 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship are revealed on Sunday, May 3.
Senior Henri Halle said that the team expects to get a bid on Sunday. “This season has been focused not only on making it back to the NCAA tournament but also making a run for the national championship,” he said.
“As a team, we have really hit our stride in the last five or six games,” added sophomore Jack McCormick. “And that’s exactly where we want to be going into the postseason.”
The Tigers hit their stride full force on Friday night, with a 10-6 victory over Whittier College. Senior midfielders Halle, Dylan Davie, and Taylor Paul fueled the Tigers with a combined seven goals and four assists. Halle found the net four times, Davie added two tallies and a pair of assists, and Paul scored once and set up two other markers.
Halle’s first goal came at the end of the first quarter and put CC ahead to stay.
Sophomore attackman Austin Davie gave Colorado College a 3-1 lead early in the second quarter. After the Poets answered with a goal, McCormick sparked a 6-1 run that gave the Tigers a 9-3 advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Junior defender Timmy Jenkins led the Tiger defense with four ground balls and three caused turnovers, while junior goaltender Chase Murphy stopped eight shots for CC.
“We knew that Whittier was going to come out and give us a good fight,” said McCormick. “So we set the tone early and came out with a strong first half that put them on their heels.”
On Saturday afternoon, twelve different players scored goals, and two others added at least one assist as CC closed out the regular season with a 19-9 victory over Southwestern University.
The first half belonged to the seniors, who were involved in seven of the team’s 10 goals.
The youngest Tigers had a chance to perform in the second half. Midway through the third quarter, first-year attackmen Robbie Stern and Sam Sheridan each scored the first of their two goals to give the CC a 14-5 lead.
“Every guy on the team works their butt off everyday at practice,” said Halle. “To see everyone get a chance to get out there and tear it up at home was a great way to end the regular season.”
From keeping possession of the Locker Stabler Cup as the best team in the West, to going undefeated at home, the Tigers have already had a remarkable season. But the team is looking to add one more accomplishment to the list: the program’s first post-season win.