Arizona Hammers UC San Diego; Hope's Alive
from press release
TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona returned to
the field just in time with a convincing win over the University of
California, San Diego (UCSD). Arizona (3-1, 7-5) got off slowly
against the Tritons after a 2 ½ weeks layoff but once the
fire was lit it didn't go out until the final whistle and the 22-5
final. Possibly a more significant aspect of the win, it meant a
trip to the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) playoffs later
this month.
"Going into the game, I was a concerned about how we'd come out of
the break, a bit more after the first quarter with the score tied
at one" remarked Coach Mickey-Miles Felton. "It was Laxcat Family
Weekend and we had families from all over the Country coming in
town to see both their favorite Laxcat and the progress of the 2010
version of the University of Arizona Men's Lacrosse."
The Laxcats appeared a bit confused by the Tritons defense in the
first half and although getting off 10 shots, with sophomore
midfielder Mike Hook's early goal, they could only light up the
scoreboard once in the first stanza.
Felton noted, "There are numerous reasons to feel positive about
this win, it's difficult to put them in order of importance." He
went on to say, "Improving the self esteem of the team after a
rough period, making the playoffs, getting every healthy Laxcat on
the roster some valuable playing time, having 14 players in the
scoring column, assists on 14 of the 22 goals, and the defense
stepping up. It just goes on and on from there."
Senior Captain, Alex Beauchamp who led the barrage with 2 goals and
4 assists, knew what was on the line. "I understood it was
significant to the future of our program to get back to the
playoffs and personally, I wasn't ready to end my career yet."
With 2:32 left in the 2nd quarter and a 2-1 advantage, Arizona
called time presumably to discuss strategy. The Laxcats came out
and scored in close, only 8 seconds later. The 3rd goal was notched
by freshman attackman Brooks Nardi (4/0) on a feed from freshman
midfielder Graham Seamans. After another timeout, the Cats found
the back of the net twice more. At 0:43 and 0:11, on an unassisted
goal by Beauchamp who then assisted junior attackman Frankie
Connell (3/2) driving from behind and a 5-1 lead heading into the
intermission.
Arizona's scoring frenzy continued early in the 3rd quarter with
Connell scoring his second of the day and didn't end until 10 goals
later when freshman midfielder David Tabata (2/0) bounced one in on
a feed from sophomore attackman, Brad Williams (1/1). That made the
score 16-2 going into the final 15 minutes.
From the coaches perspective, "Our defense and goaltending when
challenged, stood up and continually gave the ball back to the
offense," commented defensive coordinator Lewis Lipscomb.
Offensive coordinator Drew Maceranka was also energized by the Cats
production. "In much of the first half, we executed extremely well
but couldn't finish. The difference in this game over the past
several was we didn't get frustrated but stayed with the game plan
until the goals came. Once the guys started scoring, there was very
little UCSD could do to stop them."
"Primarily we've got a pretty young team. When we began practice
last Fall we understood it would take a great deal of patience. We
have now attained one of our team's goals for 2010. The objective
will be to remain focused and maintain what we learned about
ourselves, our teammates, and coaches. With an outstanding Arizona
State University team at home this Saturday, it's a must we
remember what it took to get this point and to not leave it on the
practice field or sideline," added Felton. "I'm thrilled for these
Laxcats having worked so hard over the past 8 months while buying
into what the coaches have been selling. Laxcat Fever doesn't come
cheaply!"
