Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

Western Oregon’s lacrosse team hosted the College of Idaho’s Coyotes on April 8, but it was a slick fort to hold down as the Coyotes conquered the Wolves on their turf, 22-5.

Rain came down on the Wolves, both on the field and on the scoreboard. The Coyotes cleared the Wolves of any scoring chances, striking quickly in the first quarter, 6-0.

The home-field defending team dug themselves a deep 14-2 hole going into the second half — in major part to the multiple daggers the Coyotes threw from varying directions at Western’s net.

Attempting to lick their wounds, while quickly upping the pace in order to get back, the Wolves increased the higher output of attempts, but could only conjure up near makes and crossbar hits amounting to just three goals in the second half.

“We knew we were close, we just had to get a little inch inside and just a little lower,” said junior defenseman Bryce Hinkle.

The battle at midfield may have been the catalyst for which direction the ball moved and favored. The difference was 19-3 in favor of Idaho, which allowed them to be ball dominant most of the game.

“We’re just kind of getting into our own heads,” said attackman Andrew Barnett. “We really just need to play calm, cool, collected. I think we can come out and beat a team like that, we just made mental mistakes today and if we can pick up on that, we can run with them.”

The Wolves started out fast with a 3-0 record but are now 4-4, third place of their division. The team gathered in a huddle after the game to discuss their mishaps and what to look forward to. They’re only two games behind the No. 1 Coyotes, and are still not technically out of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) postseason picture.  

There’s one more game on the schedule for the Wolves, as they’ll go head-to-head against the Southern Oregon Raiders on April 21. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: Simson Garcia