Sports – Page 30 – The Western Howl

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

With gear bags slung over their shoulders and sticks in hand, Western lacrosse walked onto a pitch black field at the University of Oregon to take on the Ducks. Murmurs of what could be going on spread across the team as game-time ticked closer. Due to the adjacent Hayward Field being under construction, there were major lighting issues at the lacrosse field.

After a few pulls of a ripcord, a generator roared to life to finally light up the field on a cold Nov. 9 night. Western took the the field to start their warm ups for the final game of the fall season. They hoped to end the pre-season on a high note but a few passes into their warm up, the hum of the generator faded and so did the lights. Again, the Wolves and the Ducks were left in the dark.

The official game time came and went and the lights were unable to stay on for more than just a couple of minutes. Nearly 45 minutes after what should have been the start of the game, the Wolves and Ducks lined up for the faceoff.

Western had been unable to get a complete warm up due to the lighting issues. Because of this the Wolves quickly sank to a multiple goal deficit. Unable to set up their offense, the Wolves couldn’t seem to find a way to mount a comeback attempt.

This action didn’t last long however. After a short 30 minutes of play, again the teams found themselves engulfed in darkness. This was the final straw for the coaches. With the inconsistent lightning, the game was canceled. This delay and eventual cancelation left the Wolves very ill tempered.

“We were (very upset). We drove all the way to Eugene for a game time that was already late. Then, add on the 45 minutes we had to wait in the cold and the game was canceled. It really got under our skin,” said senior education major Bryce Hinkle.

After the official cancelation the game only lasted approximately 30 minutes. This short game with a lack of warm up ended the Wolves fall ball leaving them 3-5. Western packed up and got ready for the short off season with their first game only two months away.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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Western’s fall sports wrap-up

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

[fruitful_tabs type=”accordion” width=”100%” fit=”false”]
[fruitful_tab title=”Lacrosse”]

Record: 3-5

Biggest win: In the Fall Tournament in Bend, Oregon the Wolves took on Humboldt State. While the game was shortened due to being a tournament game, the Wolves still overpowered the Lumberjacks to cruise to an easy 6-2 win.

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[fruitful_tab title=”Men’s Rugby”]

Record: 4-1

Biggest win: On Nov. 3 the Wolves took on Willamette University. Even though the game was cut short at halftime due to the Bearcats losing too many players to injury, there was no shortage of scoring. The Wolves’s offense tore the bearcats to shreds, putting up 33 points. The defense mirrored the offense’s dominant performance by not giving up a single score.

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[fruitful_tab title=”Women’s Rugby”]

Record: 1-1

Biggest win: Despite having only one home match, the Wolves did not hold back against Whitman University. The game was a tough defensive struggle for the first two periods. Whitman battled their way back into the game early in the final period but the lead was too much to overcome as the Wolves powered their way to a 42-29 win at home.

[/fruitful_tab][fruitful_tab title=”Men’s Soccer (Still competing)”]

Record: 3-4-1

Biggest win: On Nov. 11 the Wolves took on Reed College. From the first whistle it was evident that the Wolves were playing on a different level than the Griffins. By half the game was 3-0 in favor of the Wolves. After giving up a single point, Western was victorious with a score of 5-1.

[/fruitful_tab][fruitful_tab title=”Women’s Soccer (Still competing)”]

Record: 4-0

Biggest win: The Wolves took on the University of Oregon in their second match of their first official fall season as a club sport at Western. Stellar goalkeeping and a strong offensive drive helped the Wolves shutout the Ducks 2-0.

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[fruitful_tabs type=”accordion” width=”100%” fit=”false”]
[fruitful_tab title=”Football”]

Record: 5-6

Biggest win: The Wolves best game of the year came Sept. 29 against Simon Fraser University. Western’s offense, defense, and special teams all combined for a season high of 54 points. Meanwhile the defense held the Clan to only 13 points. The defense forced a school and GNAC record nine interceptions in this meet up.

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[fruitful_tab title=”Volleyball”]

Record: 6-21

Biggest win: There are two games worth mentioning as the highlight of the year for the Wolves. On Sept. 1 the Wolves swept Hawaii Pacific University, winning each match by an average of five points. Later in the year, Western swept conference rival Montana State University Billings in three straight matches, winning each match by an average 4.66 points per match.

[/fruitful_tab]
[fruitful_tab title=”Women’s Soccer”]

Record: 5-9-3

Biggest win: One of the most exciting games this season came in their matchup on Sept. 10 against Pacific University. After Pacific jumped to an early 1-0 lead, the Wolves battled their way back into the game by burying a game-tying shot in the second half to force overtime. Western’s defense held strong, and the offense came up big to overcome Pacific 2-1 in overtime.

[/fruitful_tab][fruitful_tab title=”Cross Country”] Best finish: Prior to the start of the school year, the Wolves men and women teams ran the table in their first home meet at Ash Creek. Both the men and the women defended their home course with first place finishes. The women narrowly defeated their closest competitor by a slim two points. The men dominated the field, with their next closest team being over 20 points behind. [/fruitful_tab]
[/fruitful_tabs]

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis (Football), Ashlynn Norton (Soccer)

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Western men’s soccer defeats Reed College

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

As the season draws closer to an end, the Wolves looked to pick up a much needed win against Reed College Griffins. In their last meeting on Nov. 3, the Wolves lost a very lopsided game to the Griffins 8-1. But now at home, Western took the field with revenge in mind.

The first 20 minutes of the half saw Western continually challenging the goalkeeper for the Griffins. Although the ball stayed glued to Reed’s side of the field, the Wolves couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.

After several saves from the Griffin’s goalkeeper, the Wolves offense still fought for points. With a deeply kicked ball, Western sprinted up the field to bury the first goal of the game. From this point, the Wolves took complete control of the Griffins.

Due to the relentless offense of the Wolves, the Griffins unable to clear the ball. Another break away lead to a high powered shot finding the back of the goal to make the score 2-0. Moments later, the Wolves scored yet another goal to finish off the first half of play.

The first half was an offensive firestorm with Western spending a vast majority on the attacking side of the field. Reed needed to find a way to slow down the offense of Western if they wanted any chance to win. But the Wolves had other plans.

The second half saw Western’s offense continuing with their momentum from the first half. Two more points from the Wolves was matched by only one from Reed. Western finished the game on top with a final score of 5-1.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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Cross country meet displays men’s continued strength

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

The echo of the speakers could be heard shouting out the colors the runners were donning. The wind seemed to calm and the seconds counted down to the start of the men’s 8000-meter GNAC Cross Country Championship. A tight group of Wolves bunched together in their white tops and red shorts, ready to fight the rest of the GNAC for long distance running supremacy.

At the 1000-meter mark of the race, Western was spotted splitting into two packs of Wolves, one fighting for the top spots, the other falling just a few meters behind. A group of University of Alaska Anchorage runners led the charge but the Wolves were hot on their heels.

The 2000-meter mark saw several single racers sneak their way to the front of the pack. The Wolves’s male runners started to split up as the leading group shrank smaller and smaller. By 3000 meters only two Wolves were spotted toward the front, surrounded by a team of Seawolves.

With the race halfway over, the leading pack of runners had shrunk to just 10 athletes. The Wolves had a single runner in the mix, but Simon Fraser University and University of Alaska Anchorage both maintained groups of three and four runners respectively at the top.

After the 6000-meter mark, the group of leaders grew smaller with every stride. The Seawolves and Clan were all that was left with less than 1000 meters to go.

In the final push the Seawolves and Clan shot to the top, but a group of well-placed Wolves finished not too far behind. As the results were compiled, the Wolves hoped their final push was enough.

The women’s 6000-meter mirrored the men’s race with the leading runners being a team of Seawolves. Unlike the men’s race, the Wolves’s women were unable to challenge the leaders, falling into a pack in the middle of all the racers.

At the 2000-meter mark the Seawolves maintained their dominating lead. The closest Wolf to the front was nearly 50 meters behind. As the runners neared the 3000-meter mark a pair of Seattle Pacific runners stole the lead away from the Alaska Anchorage runners.

As the runners took to the straight away of the course again, the leading pack of four runners were all but gone as the next closest runner was over 70 meters behind.

After 5000 meters of running, the race was nearly over and the Wolves women were falling further and further behind. Only two Western runners were spotted in the top 30 as the runners neared the finish.

As racers crossed the finish line not a Wolf was in sight. Only three Wolves finished inside the top 50. While the women’s race left more to be desired, ending with a 7th place overall finish, the official placing for the men’s race showed Western had captured a 4th place spot.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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Wolves women’s soccer club goalie gets honored

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Less than one year ago Western club sports added a new sport to its offers — women’s soccer. Starting out as just a collection of athletes wanting to play a version of soccer more competitive than just intramurals, Westerns women’s soccer club is now a dominant force in Oregon’s club soccer scene.

One of the stand out players from the roster is D-Dré Wright, junior chemistry major and the goalkeeper for the Wolves. In the goal, Wright may look like a season veteran due to her athleticism and ability to turn away a majority of the shots she faces. However, Wright hasn’t been playing for as long as some may believe.

“I started playing soccer practically last year. I did play 1 season in high school, my freshman year…but other than that just here in college recreationally,” said Wright. “I was interested in soccer in college because it was a way to get exercise on a (regular) basis while still competing against other schools.”

Joining the women’s club soccer team in its inaugural season, Wright seemed to gravitate toward the position of goalie for an unusual reason.

“I am very uncoordinated with my feet and I was well aware of this so I chose to play the only position that doesn’t really use their feet with a ball,” said Wright.

Despite this, Wright was a natural in the goal. On Oct. 20 the Wolves faced off against the University of Oregon Ducks. Before the game started, nerves were high. Wright and the rest of the team did their best to keep calm before the first whistle.

“I honestly get pretty nervous especially under pressure, but I try my best not to think and psych myself out. Instead, I just let my body go and do the actions it knows how to do. Ultimately, I just react,” said Wright.

As the game wore on, the Ducks kept testing the defense of the Wolves with shot after shot. But Wright and the Wolves stood tall.

“Although U of O did not score any goals, my defense (was) what made me look good. They always protect me at all costs,” noted Wright.

After the final whistle Western was victorious with a final score of 2-0. It was no doubt that the lights out play aided the Wolves to the win. In the week after the match, Wright was surprised to hear that her dominating play was being recognized. Western’s Club Sports named her as their “Player of the Week” and the Northwest Co-ed Soccer League as their “Player of the Week.” These honors showed that after only a short time in the goal, Wright is already making heads turn.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Matt Cornish

The Western Howl

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From the Sports Desk

Lake Larsen | Sports editor

In the weeks since my last installment of “From the Sports Desk,” I have received some comments and concerns about my coverage of the financial difficulties of the athletic programs on campus, my ethics as a journalist and my coverage of NCAA sports on campus. Because of this, I would like to take a moment to clarify myself and help resolve any questions other readers may have.

One of the most commonly mentioned criticisms I have received in regards to my columns are about my lack of mentioning the athletic accomplishments achieved by the student athletes at Western. While I do understand that my non-coverage of these facts may seem misleading, there was a purposeful intention as to why I did not include them — they are irrelevant to my story.

When I stated in “Opinion: From the Sports Desk” from Issue 4, that football was killing off the sports around it, my intention of this was to highlight how football was pulling funds away from other athletics, causing those other athletics to struggle financially. It was not meant to downplay the achievements of the other varsity programs.

However, these achievements play no part in my research for this story. In 1991, Western cut the wrestling program due to funding issues. In the final season of the wrestling program four members competed in the national championship. I bring this up because the size of the trophy case of a team means nothing if the team cannot afford to exist.

The other complaint I’ve received in regards to my coverage is how the sports section doesn’t cover enough of the NCAA sports on campus. This lack of coverage is also done for a reason.

The number of club sports being offered at Western is the same as the number of athletic teams yet the media coverage is nearly non-existent for club sports.

The argument that’s been voiced to me about needing to cover more NCAA sports has to do with the amount of work Western’s student athletes put into their teams. It has been told to me that they work very hard thus earning the right to be covered. However, this point is mirrored by the club sports on campus. Western’s club sports all work tirelessly to put together competitive teams and rarely a whisper is heard about them.

While many of the comments I have heard in regards to my opinions have been negative, I welcome the feedback. The more I hear back from readers, the better I can educate myself and others. But it is important to remember that the opinions in my column are based on research into the finances of an athletics program, whose director himself referred to as underfunded.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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Wolves’s rugby shuts out the Willamette Bearcats

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The post-season was at stake for the Wolves as players took the field for Western’s last regular season rugby match. Willamette entered the game with the ability to slam the door on the hopes of a playoff berth for the Wolves. But Western had other plans.

Prior to the game, the Wolves sat at second place in National Small College Rugby Organization standings behind Central Oregon Community College. If they beat the Bearcats, the Wolves would clinch a second place spot. And if COCC or Western wins the bid to host the playoffs, the Wolves will extend their season into postseason. With this in mind, Western rugby knew this match was a must win.

The first minutes of the game were a defensive slugfest as neither team wanted to give an inch. Through the use of brute force, Western broke the stalemate, fighting their way down to score the first try and nailed the conversion to make it 7-0.

Time ticked away as both teams defenses refused to give an inch to each other. After another defensive chess match, Western broke out of a scrum and battered their way to another score with a conversion. After this, the floodgates were opened.

Back to back to back breakaway runs from the Wolves led to three more tries, bringing the score to a lopsided 33-0.

“We were really fluid and we had a lot of compatibility between us so we were just feeding off each other. We just had a strong connection through the game,” said senior exercise science major Riley Bardes on the offense’s play.

However, this utter domination from the Wolves offense perhaps overshadowed the stellar defensive play from the Wolves.

“I think we did better on defense than we did on offense,” said Bardes. “We held them to nothing.”

Western’s defense gave up zero points and never even let the Bearcats past the half.

Going into halftime, signs of the physicality of the game started to show. Willamette, who already had a small bench of reserve players, started to see athletes fall victim to injury.

After the half the referee announced that Willamette would be unable to finish the game due to their not having enough players healthy to field a full team. After this announcement, Western broke their huddle, looking at the scoreboard with smiles, knowing that the 33-0 shutout in the final game of the regular season may pave the way for the Wolves to the playoffs.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Lighting issues put a quick end to Western lacrosse’s season

Western’s fall sports wrap-up

Western men’s soccer defeats Reed College

Cross country meet displays men’s continued strength

Wolves women’s soccer club goalie gets honored

From the Sports Desk

Wolves’s rugby shuts out the Willamette Bearcats

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