By Arielle Gordon
On a chilly, windy Washburn Field that was covered with inches of snow only hours before, Colorado College men’s lacrosse earned their first victory of 2019, beating Berry College 10–9 in overtime.
The weather did not faze the Tigers, as Head Coach Sean Woods tells the team that they are having “Tiger Weather,” whenever they are playing in the cold or during a snowstorm.
The game was tied 9–9 at the end of regulation, but midfielder and captain Tyler Borko ’19 scored 52 seconds into overtime to secure the win. It was Borko’s third goal of the game, and his fourth of the season. He also has four assists, giving him eight points in three games.
“There is obviously some added pressure in overtime in that the first goal wins, but I just tried to treat it like any other offensive possession,” Borko said. “[Midfielder Max] Rieser [’20] set me a good pick so that I was able to get over the top and get some separation to take a good shot, and I was thankfully able to put it in the net.”
The Tigers had contributions from across the lineup, with the other seven goals coming from five different players. Faceoff specialist Jacob Rogers ’22 scored one goal, giving him his first goal at home, and his second career goal. Attackmen Boe Gold ’21 and Coby Petau ’20 each had two goals. Midfielders Jack O’Donnell ’20 and Aaron Maslow ’19 each scored one.
Borko’s performance earned him the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week award. Defender and captain Jack Ammons ’19 was named SCAC defensive player of the week and was given a spot on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division III team of the week. He had three ground balls and caused two turnovers in Saturday’s game.
This win was a bounce-back for a team that lost both games of their season-opening road trip against Christopher Newport University and Stevens Institute of Technology. Starting goaltender Andrew Harwood ’20 missed those two games and made his first start of the season on Feb. 25. He allowed nine goals on 14 shots, keeping the Tigers in position to win the game.
Marwood is happy to be back and is looking forward to settling into the season with several exciting games coming up. “Our goal is always to put up at least 16 goals, and allow less than eight,” Harwood said.
With six days between their road loss to Stevens Institute of Technology and Saturday’s win, the Tigers had plenty of time to work out any issues in their game and prepare to face Berry College, who came into the contest with a 0–2 record. They defeated Berry College on the road 11–8 last season.
The game started out as though it might be another tough one for the Tigers when Berry College scored within the first three minutes of the first quarter, but the Tigers quickly recovered with a goal only a minute later. Their scoring strength came back and the Tigers kept the game close until Borko could win for them.
“I think Berry was a good team for us to play in our home opener,” Borko said. “We play them every year and know how they play, which was helpful. It was definitely exciting to win in OT and get our first win of the season.”
Momentum has increased for the team in the early season, with a win in their home opener. With several home games coming up, men’s lacrosse a chance to pick up some more wins soon. They will have six days of practice to continue improving before their next game, giving them time to fix any holes in their game plan.
“I am just looking forward to playing on Washburn for a while, and I am confident that we can string together a bunch of wins,” Borko said.
The Tigers will be home until after spring break, with eight games in the next four weeks. Their next game is Sunday, March 3 against Widener University at 2 p.m. on Washburn Field. They have never played Widener, but are looking forward to a competitive game. Good luck, Tigers.