Tigers Roll Over Southwestern University, Edge Out Win Versus Whittier College

Photos by Austin Halpern

Colorado College men’s lacrosse (9-3) extended their win streak to four games this weekend with two home victories over Southwestern University (19-6) and Whittier College (13-9).

Fresh off their first-ever win over Williams College, the Tigers played dominantly over Southwestern University last Friday on Washburn Field. CC got on the board first with sophomore midfielder Parker Woo scoring in the first 18 seconds of the match. Despite notching three more unanswered goals for a 0-4 lead, the Tiger offense couldn’t find their rhythm in the first half. Fortunately, a strong defense helped the team keep their lead. CC shot 27 times, only putting four past Pirate goaltender Kyle Kuberski. By the end of the second half, Southwestern closed in on CC and brought the game to within one goal, 3-4.

The one-goal deficit lasted less than a minute for the Pirates. At the start of the third quarter, the Tigers went on a 0-7 scoring run that would give the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. 44 seconds into the second half, CC brought back some momentum when sophomore midfielder Tom Haller rifled a shot into the back of the net past the Southwestern goaltender. A little more than a minute later, junior attackman Robbie Stern scored the first of his game-high four goals that came during an 11-minute span in which the Tigers extended their lead to 4-12.

The Tiger offense continued to control the field in the fourth quarter, scoring five goals in five minutes to create a 4-17 lead. The deficit would prove too much for Southwestern to overcome, who lost with a final score of 6-19. The Tigers outshot their opponent 13-32, won 24 of 29 face-offs, and recovered 25-40 ground balls. Woo went 19 for 21 on face-offs and grabbed a team-high 13 ground balls.

Two days after their rout of Southwestern, the Tigers were back on Washburn Field to earn their 11th straight win over their West Region rival Whittier College. Despite allowing the Poet’s the first two goals of the match, the Tigers consistently dominated the shot column throughout the game, outshooting Whittier 17-27. The offensive pressure was enough to put Whittier on their heels and allowed CC to control the match, taking a 2-4 lead at the beginning of the second quarter, thanks to three straight goals from senior attackman Austin Davie.

In the third quarter, Whittier College senior midfielder Nick Hernandez tied the game 7-7. However, CC sophomore midfielder Aaron Maslow responded 30 seconds later with his first of three goals and ignited a five-goal outburst to give the Tigers a commanding 7-12 lead. The Tigers held their lead in the fourth quarter to win the game 9-13. The long-time rivals will square off again on Saturday, April 29 in Southern California for the Locker-Stabler Cup.

“We were happy with the win over Whittier because we have never lost to them and it felt good to keep that tradition going,” said Maslow. “However, like any game, there are always things we can improve on so we are looking to finish out the season with three wins and put ourselves in the best position to make a run in the tournament.”

One thing Colorado College has consistently done well over its last four games is score goals; the Tigers have now scored at least 13 in each of their last four games. A strong offensive presence has proven to be a useful tool for the Tigers, and hopefully will help them capitalize on the remainder of their season. Now, as the Tigers prepare for a weekend game this Saturday against the University of Dallas, the team will continue to sharpen its skills as they prepare to compete in the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers will square off against the Crusaders on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Washburn Field.

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