The men’s lacrosse team fought back from a seven-goal deficit to win 17-16 in overtime against Carleton last Sunday. The win is the first for the Gaels, who needed the victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Co-captain Raphael Daste said that the Gaels came out strong in the first quarter, but quickly fell into a hole. They allowed two goals in the first few minutes of the game and halfway through the second quarter, found themselves down 9-2.
Daste said the Gaels settled down during the break and focused on getting the job done. “We envisioned another blowout and nobody wanted it,” he said. “We knew going into this game that if we didn’t win, we might as well kiss our season goodbye.”
Queen’s had lost 23-6 Bishop’s on Saturday.
Head coach Jeff Willis said, “One of our problems is that we don’t play with a lot of confidence when we get down by a couple of goals.”
On Sunday, the Gaels capitalized on a two-man advantage midway through the second quarter, the first of seven unanswered goals.
“Their team took a lot of unsportsmanlike penalties,” Willis said. “The refs did call a pretty tight game, but they called it evenly.”
Over the course of the game, 39 penalty minutes were called.
Minutes into the third quarter, the Gaels had evened the score.
“We just got a bunch of momentum and it didn’t stop,” Daste said. “The ball just stayed in our offensive end.”
Daste said the team came together on defence in the second half and played a much more physical game.
“Essentially we played it like it was 0-0.”
Daste said the Ravens’ Raj Wasson gave the Gaels trouble in the first two quarters but they were able to contain him in the third and fourth.
“At one point, he got through three of our players and was about to shoot, and I caught him,” Daste said. “It was one of the best hits of my life.”
The score was tied 15-15 at the end of regulation. In the overtime period, the Gaels scored two goals to the Ravens’ one to win 17-16. Andrew Kirkpatrick scored the first and Matt Denis scored the game winner.
The Gaels still need to win all four remaining regular season games to secure a playoff spot.
Willis said it’s a difficult time of year to find time for extra preparation.
“We’re nursing a few injuries so I’m not running them too hard this week,” he said.
The team plays the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks today in Waterloo.
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