Don’t you just love Arizona LaxCats by now? It’s your all-access inside look at the shenanigans and triumphs of the University of Arizona Club Lacrosse Team!
Babicke has us on the road again, heading back to SoCal for one of the team’s most anticipated games of 2015, a match with the #3 Chapman Panthers.
Woken up for an early morning run through, the LaxCats made their way to Sitton Field to get some extra practice in before they leave for Chapman University. Chapman hasn’t lost on their own field in years.
Note: Music in the beginning of the video is by LaxCats junior attackman Keegan Jennings.
They arrived at their hotel the night before and got in a good dinner before the big day that was ahead of them. The next morning everyone was feeling pretty confident. Coach Pedrick addressed how loose everyone was, and he embraced it as the team went through the scouting report one last time.
The LaxCats started out the game strong with 3 goals in the first quarter and keeping the momentum from this explosive start was crucial. Freshman Zach Rogers netted his first two goals in the last minute of the first quarter. The second quarter was scoreless, so the LaxCats went into halftime ahead 3-1.
Junior LSM Jackson Pinney kept the Arizona LaxCats in the game at the faceoff X going 5 of 10. Rogers finished his hat trick off an assist from Junior Ben Brehne in the third quarter. Ben had 2 goals and 3 assists stepping it up for the LaxCats against one of the toughest defenses in the nation.
Junior goalie Tanner Knego absolutely stood on his head in this game. He recorded 15 saves and only let in 3 goals until the final minutes of the game, finishing with a 75% save percentage. Going into the final minutes of the game, the LaxCats were up 6-3 over the Panthers.
Dumb penalties put the LaxCats into a three men down situation where the Panthers scored a goal in the last minute, and then another in the final seconds to finish the game 6-5.
| Arizona | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Chapman | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
This was an amazing and historical win for the LaxCats. Arizona has not beaten Chapman in over 10 years and with the huge win it’s clear this team is looking to be something special with a lot of young talent.
It was all cheers and grins from ear to ear after the game, some of the players felt compelled to let it be known that Rogers is actually in the upcoming movie, Ted 2! Also, to keep spirits high, instead of sticking to the rule that LaxCats are staying healthy on road trips, Coach Pedrick rewards the guys with fast food! Cinnabun on 3… 1, 2, 3!
After the trek back to Tucson, the Arizona LaxCats got back at it, scouting and practicing for Simon Fraser University. The GoPro was strapped on to former attackmen Zach Johnson. Zach was a three year starter for the LaxCats, but had to make the decision to leave the team prior to the first game to focus on getting into med school.
