When the Vikings Lacrosse team took the field against Santa Clara University last Saturday, Nov. 5, they were showered with more than the cheers of the Vikings’ faithful sitting under the overhang of the press box. Although the weather proved to be a factor in the game, the Vikings went home with a gritty 8-4 win.
Rain poured down on Vikings Stadium as players took their warm-ups in temperatures in the high 40s. For most teams, the elements would be a deterrent, but the Vikings thrived in the rain and cold. “We were better with catch and throw than we’ve ever been in the rain,” said defenseman Chris Morrissey. “It’s funny, but something clicked.”
The game had an emotional start when midfielder Chris Banks sustained an upper body injury in the first minute of the game attempting to break up a pass. Luckily, doctors wouldn’t find any broken bones, but seeing the starter in a sling provided more adversity for a team already battling the elements. The Vikings took that emotion and focused it into a series of quick scoring plays.
The Vikings came out slinging early when midfielder Jarrett Hassfeld scored a goal 1 minute, 57 seconds into the first quarter.
“Every game I try to set the pace early to get the team and myself amped up,” said Hassfeld. “It’s not always successful, but that night it worked.”
The Broncos would come back to tie the game 1-1, but after midfielder Sebastian Darby scored a goal to put the score to 2-1, the Vikings would never surrender the lead.
The Vikings left the field at half time with the score 5-3. Up only 2 goals, the mindset going into the second half was to further add some cushion to their lead.
The players followed the strategy to a “T” with goals from attacker Devon Bahary, midfielder Cory Callahan and one from attacker Gavin Cooke, which proved to be the icing on the cake with only 45 seconds to go in the game. The Broncos were only able to squeeze in one goal in the second half.
“I think this is the best we played all season. We knew it was going to be a tough game against a very good team and we responded,” said a proud Coach Skinner. “We played with more discipline and more heart than we have before. There is still a lot we can do better, but overall we looked sharp and we played with a purpose.”
Not only did the Vikings offense do its part to score enough goals to win, the defense did an excellent job stopping the Broncos from scoring.
The defense only gave up four goals, two of which came from man down situations. The Vikings’ defensemen imposed their will on the Broncos, forcing twice the amount of turnovers as the opposition.
“We’ve been confident since the start of the season that our defense is the best on the field,” said Morrissey. “It’s our strength. There were no surprises and we’re happy with what we did.”
The Vikings are going to take the intensity from this match to their next home against Sonoma State; a rematch against a team that trounced the Vikings 1-7 at the UC Davis Tournament on Oct. 29.
“Our team really wants to win this game,” said midfielder Octavio Martinez. “They better be ready for revenge.” The Vikings, who have yet to lose a game at Viking Stadium, will be ready.
