Sunday 2/15/98 Griswold Stadium @ Lewis & Clark College. 7th Annual LC Alumni Game.

Story by Brent Soo Hoo, Wy'East Attack Captain.

It was a nice day for a lacrosse game. The field was wet and there was a big muddy pond at the midfield line. It made me glad that I wasn't a midfielder. This was the first game of the season for both teams. The Wy'East squad has a lot of new players, so we needed to see if we were going to jell. Lewis & Clark was breaking in a new goalie, an upperclassman who previously played attack and midfield. Kevin Burke, the LC Coach, told me before the game that his defense was his strong point this year. It looked to me like their attack was good and they still have those young college legs. For the first time I can ever remember, Wy'East ran out of jerseys; we actually had more players than available jerseys.

The game started with LC jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The LC Middies seemed to come up with more ground balls. They also seemed to knock the ball out of our sticks on the clears. With little ball control on the Wy'East offense, there were few shots and even fewer shots on cage. Wy'East came back with a goals from attackmen Lee Rudick and LC '87 Alumni Jamie Demerritt. I think that the score was either 4-3 or 3-3 at halftime. Wy'East attackman Dave Delucia had the 3rd (and final) Wy'East tally.

In the second half, the clearing woes of Wy'East paid dividends for LC. At least 2 goals were scored off of blown clears. Midfielders need to look for passes when breaking out. Defenders need to get rid of the ball sooner. We didn't do a good job of this all day. When we did get the ball into a midfielder's stick, a group of LC players gang-checked the Wy'East player and got possession of the ball. I saw a lack of footwork on the part of some Wy'East defenders, allowing 1-on-1's with our goalie in close to the crease. At least twice the LC attack capitalized on poor positioning by the Wy'East defense. The final score ended up 8-3. We have a lot to work on before the first counting league game. Wy'East cheered the LC squad with the following: "WE LOST, YOU LEWINSKY!" If you need help with that reference, where have you been for the past month?

After the game, LC invited Wy'East to a keg drink-up at an off campus house. The main event was some poor rookie LC attackman who scored; he was to chug a pitcher of beer. Can you say projectile vomiting? The kid did it, to the amusement of all his team. These are the best years of your lives college boys, never forget that! For the second time in the past 2 years, Brent Soo Hoo LC '86 Alumni, was the last Wy'East player to leave the LC boys drink-up party. Tell me to get a life. What did we learn? You've got to shoot to score. You've got to put the ball on cage. Bounce shots don't work in the mud. Look for help after scooping a ground ball. Where is the slide coming from on defense? You have to clear the ball better. Penalties cost the team goals. Ball possession keeps you off the defensive end of the field.