Diablo Valley College’s lacrosse club defeated Dominican University for the first time ever Saturday, Nov. 15, beating the Penguins 11-10 in a sudden death overtime.

Saturday night was special as the team honored former DVC student and swimmer Lauren McCullough. McCullough had recently lost a battle with a rare form of cancer called Ewing Sarcoma.

The game was a benefit for the American Cancer Society and prior to the start, the club retired the number one jersey in honor of McCullough.

Players wore jerseys with yellow ribbons on one side, a symbol for Ewing Sarcoma awareness. Yellow ribbon decals were also displayed on each of their helmets which read “LaurenStrong.”

Lacrosse club advisor Terry Armstrong feels as though the game was amazing but the most special part of the night was the honoring of McCullough.

“That’s something that we’ve been looking forward to all year,” Armstrong said. “We’re going to continue to spread Lauren’s word that she wanted to be spread about Ewing Sarcoma, and we’re going to be her voice as long as Viking lacrosse is around.”

Saturday’s victory improved the Viking’s record to 12-1 overall but it did not come easy.

The Vikings were limited to only one goal in the first quarter but some strong defensive play kept the game close.

Dominican looked as if they were pulling away in the second quarter, putting together a couple scoring drives.

DVC attacker Abbott Pratt managed to score a clutch goal with only eight seconds left in the quarter cutting Dominican’s lead to 4-2 at halftime.

Pratt’s goal seemed to give the Vikings momentum. Pratt scored another goal just 45 seconds into the second half and from then on the Vikings began step up their game on offense.

Attacker Nick Bunnell was able to tie the game at 7-7 with a goal coming just under the 10 minute mark in the fourth quarter. Bunnell’s goal was the start of a run that looked to seal up the victory for DVC.

The Vikings scored four unanswered goals, giving them a 10-7 lead. With under two minutes left and facing defeat, Dominican scored three goals to tie the game.

The tying goal came with only 0.4 seconds left forcing a sudden death overtime.

In overtime, it did not take long for DVC to secure the victory. Midfielder Jakob Ternes was able to maneuver around the Dominican defensemen and find the net, putting an end to the thrilling game.

Ternes believes the game was a great cause for McCullough and very emotional. He feels as though the team did a good job overcoming the slow start.

“We looked at each other in our eyes and said ‘you know what we gotta bring it right now,'” Ternes said. “Our sideline in the second half got really loud, just real helpful to us by that intesity they bring out.”

Pratt said the win was huge, especially for McCullough.

“I think everyone played for her (McCullough),” Pratt said. “I think it was just a great team win, everyone came together.”

The Vikings will play against the University of California, Davis at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at DVC.