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Ducks End Season with Loss to BYU in MCLA Championship
Submitted by walax on Thu, 2007-05-31 18:24.
Frisco, TX – The Ducks came to Texas having just completed their best season in team history and wanting to make a splash on the national stage. The first game saw the Oregon squad up against a Lindenwood team that was not going to give them an inch.
Frisco, TX – The Ducks came to Texas having just completed their best season in team history and wanting to make a splash on the national stage. The first game saw the Oregon squad up against a Lindenwood team that was not going to give them an inch. The 1pm start time had the teams playing in intense Texas heat, similar to their 1st round loss to Arizona in the tournament last year. However, this year was different and the Ducks powered their way past the Lions and on to a second round game against Minnesota Duluth.
The feisty Duluth squad came to the tournament with high hopes as well and presented a large hurdle for Oregon. After coming out flat against Lindenwood the day before, the Ducks were better prepared and it showed as they sprinted out to an early lead. But the Bulldogs would not go down without a fight and they chipped away at the Ducks lead, bringing the score to 9-8 late in the game. In the closing moments, senior Ryan Warren put any talk of an upset to rest with an insurance goal to carry the Ducks to the victory. The semi-final match-up would put Oregon against a familiar foe, the Colorado State Rams.
The Rams-Ducks rematch was easily the most anticipated game of the tournament, with the Rams still smoldering from an early season 19-6 loss in Eugene. The game itself lived up to the hype and then some. The Rams, with their usual contingent of excited fans cheering them on, came out strong and took it to the Ducks early, going up 2-0. The rest of the game saw the Ducks fight back from a 5 goal deficit and tie it up as time expired. Overtime went as scripted for the Ducks with star midfielder Scott Miller winning the face-off to himself and Cody Aldridge finishing the amazing comeback with a diving goal after driving from behind the cage. The 9-8 victory propelled the Ducks into the national championship game for the first time in program history.
The championship game saw the Ducks take on another familiar foe, the BYU Cougars. The Ducks had given BYU their only MCLA loss of the season earlier in the year in California. The magic that sent Oregon over the top against CSU was missing against the Cougars, and the team went down early and couldn’t quite recover. Oregon kept it interesting early but fell to an experienced BYU team 16-9.
FINAL SCORES:
First Round - #3 Oregon 13, #14 Lindenwood 10
Second Round - #3 Oregon 10, #6 Minnesota-Duluth 8
Semi-Finals - #2 Colorado State 8, #3 Oregon 9 (OT)
Championship - #1 BYU 16, #3 Oregon 9
THANK YOU AND FAREWELL
After the best season in program history, the Oregon Ducks put the country on notice. The team was the cream of the crop, not just in the PNCLL, but in the entire nation. Next year’s team looks to continue this ascent to the top and cement their spot into the nation’s lacrosse elite. Many people have helped the team get where it currently stands; alumni, parents, current players, coaches, and fans. The team appreciates everyone who cheered the Ducks on to the National title game this year and looks forward to another great season next year.
Recently, the Ducks held their end of the season banquet and said goodbye to their seniors. Julian Coffman, Todd Jolly, Alex Jonsson, Ryan Warren, Trevor Tesar, Scott Miller, Kyle Tolzman, and Ryan Craven have all suited up for the Ducks for the last time, and the Ducks program can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done. Without the leadership and commitment that each one of them provided year-in and year-out over the past four years, the Oregon Ducks never would have had such a successful flight to the top. The seniors leave the team in good hands, having taken younger players under their wings throughout the season and instilling a phenomenal family attitude into the program. Much credit goes out to the eight names above, as they have set a solid foundation for years to come.
Also saying farewell is Head Coach Joe Kerwin. After taking the reins for the past 2 years and leading the team to this year’s National Championship game, Kerwin has taken an assistant coaching job at Division II NDNU. Coach Kerwin was an integral part of bringing the team to the national stage and everyone in the Oregon lacrosse family wishes him future success at NDNU.