Saturday Recap: Mild Revenge
Opinion
| NDSU
| St. Thomas
| Stanford
| Auburn
| Cal State San Marcos
| Dayton
| Florida State
| Missouri Baptist
| UC Davis
| UC Merced
by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Is it really possible to avenge a double overtime loss in the national championship game?
Honestly, I have to wonder if winning a national championship the following year would even fully cure that kind of hurt. Sure, it would certainly be a nice response and erase some memories, but it would always be in the back of your mind, right?
The one that got away.
FRIDAY'S RESULTS | SATURDAY'S RESULTS | SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
For a team like St. Thomas that is used to holding the trophy high in May, the 8-7 double overtime loss to UMLC rival North Dakota State last to May has to linger. Those are the games the Tommies always win, but not last year.
Nine months later, St. Thomas managed a modicum of revenge by bouncing NDSU on its own field in double overtime, 14-13, on Saturday.
Alex Vijums had a double hatty to lead the Tommies to the victory in their season opener.
St. Thomas also scored three goals in less than a minute to force extra time.
“We knew coming into this game that it would be a battle – two Top 5 teams, conference implications, and a rematch of the 2018 National Championship game – and it lived up to expectations,” said St. Thomas coach Brian Gross. “More than anything, I’m proud of the grit these guys showed.
“It’s cliché, but they never even thought about quitting, and those three goals in the span of 56 seconds at the end exemplified that. We learned plenty from this game in terms of where we need to improve, but also the character that this year’s team has as a collective group.”
Nothing will ever get last year’s near miss back for St. Thomas, but Saturday heroics will act as a nice distraction for right now.
It's all about TEAM today. Get up, Tigs - It's GAME DAY!
Top- matchup
Liberty Sparky's
3:30 p.m. ET
TL Hanna High School
2600 SC-81
Anderson, SC
Admission
Game updates available via Twitter/Facebook (@clemsonmenslacrosse)
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— Clemson Lacrosse (@ClemsonLacrosse) February 24, 2019
Slides & Rides
- Stanford eclipsed last year’s win total on Saturday with the Cardinal’s 7-4 victory over Sonoma State, picking up victory number five.
It was the third time this season that Stanford has held its opponent to four goals. In the 5-0 start, the Cardinal has allowed 5.6 goals per game – a huge nod to new coach Paul Jepsen and his defensive background.
The rookie MCLA head coach has been performing miracles to this point on The Farm. Less than a month into the season and he is a pretty easy choice for coach of the year. For now.
- UC Davis just salted away a 15-3 victory over No. 10 Cal State San Marcos that could prove to lucrative. The Aggies are in WCLL-II, which does not have an AQ to the dance this year. As such, Top 10 non-conference wins are huge.
- Auburn had its magical run ended by Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers dug themselves a 13-5 hole heading into the fourth quarter, but somehow managed a 9-1 final frame to send the game into overtime.
Mizzou delivered the golden goal for the win, 15-14, running the Tigers record to 3-0 with Vanderbilt looming today.
- No. 9 Dayton brushed off No. 25 MSU Denver, 16-4…No. 21 UC Santa Cruz bounced No. 18 UC San Diego, 9-4…heading to Moab seemed like a good idea for a mini-tournament. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wiped out the games with a snow storm…Tulane rocked Louisiana, 18-8…Texas edged Oklahoma in overtime in the Red River Rivalry…despite being a little thin on the backline, Cal handled Florida State, 18-10.