The Idaho men’s club lacrosse team braved the elements Friday afternoon, capitalizing on 11 goals in the second half to claim a 19-15 victory over Nevada during an intermittent hailstorm.
The win improves the Vandals record to 2-5 on the season and breaks a four-game losing skid for the program.
“Well we had a strong belief in ourselves and what we do as a program and our system,” said Idaho coach James Courter. “We know that when we can continue to win ground balls and possess the ball, we give ourselves the opportunity to win the game.”
The Vandals initially struggled to find the net in the first half and fell behind 6-2 in the first quarter.
“Their style of play is tough-nosed,” Courter said. “They use that ability and their speed to their advantage.”
Idaho was able to regain some momentum in the second quarter, as the Vandals scored six times to cut the deficit to 11-8 at the half.
“I think we just came out with a slow start,” Idaho junior Andrew Spangler said. “Our defense was kind of ball watching and we weren’t moving our feet as much.”
Idaho exploded for seven goals in the third period to regain the lead and shift the tempo of the competition.
“We had a lack of intensity right off the bat,” Idaho freshman Grant Hill said. “But we started winning those ground balls and got a couple of goals to get the momentum going.”
The Vandals carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, scoring the first four goals of the period to extend the lead to 19-13.
Nevada responded with two late goals, but the effort by the Wolfpack was not enough as Idaho claimed the 19-15 victory on the SprinTurf.
Spangler led the Vandals with six goals and one assist. Hill contributed another five goals and two assists for Idaho.
“Every day at practice we are working as a two-man unit,” Hill said. “We get that camaraderie together, it’s a good chemistry that we’ve built.”
Attacker Keenan Christopher provided the bulk of the Nevada offense with five goals and one assist. Midfielder Zach Sherrod scored two goals for the Wolfpack, while attacker Alec Ledbetter was responsible for five assists.
Nevada goalkeeper Justin O’Camb made 12 saves on the afternoon, while Idaho goalkeeper Peter Kotsonas had seven.
The Vandals will travel on the road to face Simon Fraser at 7 p.m. Friday in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom