Return Trip: Chapman Nips BYU in OT
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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| Connor Martin netted a hat trick in the first half for
Chapman, but it was Andrew Clayton who scored the most important
goal of the season for the Panthers. © Cecil Copeland |
DENVER - Chapman senior Mike Clayton was named Lacrosse
Magazine's Preseason Player of the Year in MCLA Division I.
It was freshman - and little brother - Andrew Clayton who scored
the biggest goal of the Panthers' season.
Located in the right place at the right time to collect an errant
BYU pass and walk in all alone on the Cougar cage, Clayton the
Younger buried his opportunity, lifting Chapman to the 10-9
overtime victory and sending the Panthers to the national
championship game for the second consecutive year.
"I was pretty much being a pile, standing on the crease and hoping
one of our players would come up with it," said Clayton. "We ended
up getting the check and Bob's your uncle, it ended up rolling into
my stick."
It was the culmination of an improbable win for the Panthers.
Not only had Chapman lost the regular season meeting between the
two teams, 10-7 in Provo, but the Panthers were saddled with a host
of injuries, most notably to Mike Clayton. Hobbled by leg woes, he
has been limited to extra-man opportunities and spot duty in
certain sub packages for the majority of the season.
Marcus Wooden, another of the huge cogs in last year's championship
game appearance for Chapman, has also been nicked up, but still
managed to show what he is capable of at a key moment.
With the Panthers trailing, 9-8 and the clock winding down in the
game, Wooden dodged from behind the cage and beat his defender on
the inside, diving in front of the crease while depositing the ball
over the goalie's shoulder with 1:37 remaining to tie the
contest.
"If I get the ball down low, I know how to score," said Wooden,
matter-of-factly.
BYU coach Jason Lamb was hoping Wooden would never get the
opportunity.
Leading by a goal with just under three minutes left in the
contest, possession of the ball in the attack area, and a timeout
in his back pocket, Lamb had the Panthers right where he wanted
them.
"That's a game we have to win at that point," he said.
In perhaps a sign of the pressure that a big game can have on a
student-athlete, a Cougar player charged at the Panther net and
took an ill-advised shot. It settled into the outside netting,
allowing Chapman to regain possession and set up Wooden.
"We told our players not to go to goal unless we had an opening the
size of a Mack truck. Unfortunately, sometimes players think you
can fit a Mack truck through a space this size," said Lamb, holding
his hands about eight inches apart.
In some respects, it was impressive that BYU was in the game at the
end as Chapman came out of the opening whistle and put in on the
Cougars. Three transition goals - two by junior Connor Martin -
allowed the third-seeded Panthers to build a 4-1 lead midway
through the first quarter.
BYU regained its composure after the initial blitz, and managed to
chip away at the lead. Five different players scored a goal in the
first half as the second-seeded Cougars tied the game at five all
heading into halftime.
Neither team would be able to build more than a one goal lead in
the second half, but it was always Chapman chasing BYU.
Lamb thought he had the goal he needed to advance to the title game
with 8:33 left in the contest. With a Chapman defender unsure of
what to do after his stick broke, BYU had a de facto man-up
situation, which Kent Mann converted off a nifty feed from Justin
Hier.
Unfortunately for BYU, Chapman earned its extra life.
In the overtime period, Chapman finally gained possession after an
18 second loose ball situation off the initial faceoff. After a
timeout, the Panthers promptly turned the ball over, but while
trying to wriggle past a triple team on the end line, a
BYU defender's pass dribbled to Andrew Clayton, who faked once and
buried it low.
Despite the fact that the younger Clayton gets the notoriety for
this win, he knows a rookie's place.
"I have my brother and the seniors to thank for making this
happen," he said. "They have set the tone for this entire
team."
"Mike Clayton is still the heart of this team and when Marcus is
playing well, we all play well," said Chapman coach Mike Wood.
At this point in the season, though, it doesn't matter who scores
the goals. It can be the preseason player of the year or
shaggy-haired rookie.
Just as long as the goals come at the right time.
