Laxcats win home opener
Arizona men’s lacrosse (5-1) defeated the New Hampshire Wildcats 13-4 in its home opener at Cherry Field on Sunday.
Despite the windy conditions Arizona junior attacker Zach Johnson and senior attacker Willie Stanaback each scored a goal within the first two minutes of the game.
The Laxcats earned three more goals in the first half of the game. Arizona pulled away from New Hampshire with six goals in the third quarter. They capped off the opposing Wildcats with two more in the final quarter.
Arizona head coach Derek Pedrick said he was pleased with the team’s performance against the opposing Wildcats.
“Offensively, defensively, in between the lines, they played much better this game,” Pedrick said.
The Laxcats gave up 10 goals in their latest victory over Concordia.
Stanaback and sophomore midfielder Ben Brehne each had four goals. Johnson also scored two goals during the game, and said he was satisfied with the team’s home-opening win.
“Our defense played really good, and our goalie Tanner Knego played really well too,” Johnson said.
Not only did the Laxcats win their home opener, but the team’s fundraiser was also a success. The Laxcats were able to raise $697 from ticket prices. They will donate the money to the American Cancer Society through Coaches vs. Cancer.
Every team in the Southern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) is supporting Coaches vs. Cancer by donating funds from a game to the foundation as well as wearing purple Coaches vs. Cancer t-shirts at those games.
The Laxcats will go on a Utah road trip this week to play against No. 18 Westminster College, No. 5 Brigham Young University and Utah University. Arizona will be back at Cherry Field March 20 to play Simon Fraser at 7:00 p.m.
Women’s volleyball nearly sweeps Texas Invitational
The Arizona women’s club volleyball teams A and B won four of their five matches at the Texas Invitational tournament.
Arizona’s B team beat No. 15 Texas’ A team in the tournament’s semi-finals.
After beating the Longhorns, Arizona’s B team lost to Texas A&M’s A team in the championship game, earning it a second-place finish.
Sophomore Kayla Darris, who plays on the B team, was satisfied with her teams’ win at the tournament and is excited for the Las Vegas Open next week.
“I think we will finish at least in the top 10 of B teams,” Darris said. “The goal is to make it to the gold bracket to play against A teams.”
Arizona’s A team played in the UC Davis Far Westerns tournament during the same weekend.
For the second consecutive year, the women’s A team won the tournament. They defeated UC Davis, California, UCLA and SDSU for the tournament sweep.
The Arizona women’s A and B teams will play in the national qualifier at the Las Vegas Open on March 21 and 22.
—Follow Daniela Vizcarra @vizcarra_dw
