NAMPA, Idaho -- The Northwest Nazarene men’s lacrosse team opened its spring campaign at home this past Saturday with a thrilling overtime win against PNCLL Division I opponent Washington State.

Saturday’s game was the first time the team was able to have spectators attend a game inside the gated area since restrictions had been eased and with an impressive crowd on hand, they were treated to a very special afternoon.

The Nighthawks secured the program's first-ever win in what was a back-and-forth game against an upperclassman-heavy Washington State team.

After regulation ended in a 9-9 tie, the Nighthawks opened the overtime period with freshman Rayce Neill securing the ball of a faceoff. He advanced the ball into the offensive half of the field where Nighthawks coach Tom Blanchard called a timeout to get his team organized.

Minutes after the timeout, sophomore midfielder Hayden Diggins ended the game in dramatic fashion with a rollback to the middle of the field and a left-handed bounce shot that went in over the right shoulder of the Washington State goalie, giving the Nighthawks players and program their first ever taste of victory.

After the game, Blanchard was asked what this win means for the program

“This win is the culmination of a great deal of effort of the behalf of so many people," he said. "I think what this win represents to me is the fact that we have the ship pointed in the right direction. We have outstanding administration that supports us, we have dedicated players that are passionate about the game, and we have a committed coaching staff that works endlessly to develop our players.”

The Nighthawks will resume their schedule on Friday at home against Idaho.