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U of Portland Tournament Recap Day 1

Box Score

Oct. 1, 2011

October 1, 2011 (Hillsboro, OR) - Western Oregon University kicked off their fall season with a scrimmage hosted the University of Portland at Hillsboro Stadium. The "Laredo" tournament was a great opportunity for local area referees to get trained up for the college level as well as a great chance for 8 teams to get a lot of lacrosse in over two days.

The first game of the weekend pitted the Wolves against Puget Sound a team run by WOU alum Steve Blair (’08). Western got off to a great start as Dan Hochspeier (4G, 3A) took command of the offense and lead WOU to a 3-0 advantage early. The game settled into a lull for the rest of the first half and ended with the same score. To open the second half Western again stormed out to an early attack with goals by Hochspeier and a beautiful catch and finish by Brian Weare (1G). Up 5-0 the Wolves continued to press and extended their lead to 8-0 with eight minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, the Wolves were not able to stay out of the penalty box and saw Puget Sound net four extra man opportunity goals to close out the game at 8-4.

The second game was against Pacific Lutheran University. Again the Wolves jumped out to an early lead this time lead by Bryson Black (2G, 1A) who showed a great promise as a triple threat player out of the midfield with his ability to dodge, pass, and shoot. The Western defense was again able to play a shutout first half with new defenseman Corey Myers and Ryan Goe locking down the Lute’s offense. Western closed out the half with two extra man opportunity goals cashed in by Taylor Dougan (2G) to take a 5-0 halftime lead. WOU extended their lead to seven before PLU got on the board. But a goal by Clay Malensek (2G, 1A) and an own goal forced by Matt Frutiger (1G) helped WOU close out the game winning 10-1.

The third game was against Linfield College, a former PNCLL D2 South member club. While Western was very happy to see Linfield looking to revive their team, the fledgling Wildcats did not put up defense against WOU even with former WOU alum Josh Butterwegge (’08) helping Linfield along. Spenser Brock (2G) caught fire early finishing on two Western first three goals. Western was able to spread the ball around as ten players tallied a goal in game. Western lead at the half 7-0 as Ronnie Rothstein was able to turn away the only threat of the half in the closing seconds. The second half was more of the same was western jumped to a 12-0 lead highlighted by long stick goals from Justin Cox (1G) and Tyler Bolton (1G). Linfield was able to spoil the shutout netting a goal in the closing seconds making the final score 12-1.

The last game of day one was against Portland State University, the only MCLA Division 1 team at the tournament. The first real test of fall for the Wolves showed how physical the game can be played as PSU came out looking to assert themselves as a tough team. Mark Iliyn (3G) showed great senior leadership as he helped settle the Western offensive and score his first of the game on a great dodge down the alley. The Vikings were able to respond with a goal of their own before Iliyn took the PSU defense for a ride again. Dan Hochspeier (1G, 1A) finished off the first half scoring leading 3-1. Again the Vikings would not go away as PSU scored on a settled play and score again off the ensuing face to tie up the half at 3-3. The second half showed how much mettle this Wolves team has as they regained the lead early off Iliyn’s third goal and then continued to play stellar defense highlighted by freshman Griffin Caster. The Wolves had to battle through several late hits but continued to stand tall and battle back Spenser Brock (1G) was able to give the team some breathing room up 5-3 and Taylor Dougan (1G) put the nail in the coffin with a huge rip with under a minute to play in a multiple flag down situation. In a normal game, Western would have had the benefit of playing three men up for a minute but with a running time game clock it took so long to relay in all the penalties that the game ended with the final score 6-3.

Box Scores

Scoring Recap
Puget Sound: Dan Hochspeier (4G, 3A), Clay Malensek (2G, 3A), Spenser Brock (1G, 1A), Brian Weare (1G) Joe Gehrig (1A).

Pacific Lutheran: Bryson Black (2G, 1A), Clay Malensek (2G, 1A), Taylor Dougan (2G), Spenser Brock (1G, 1A), Dan Hochspeier (1G, 1A), Nathan Glander (1G), Matt Frutiger (1G), Mark Iliyn (1A).

Linfield: Dan Hochspeier (1G, 2A), Spenser Brock (2G), Clay Malensek (2G), Mark Iliyn (1G, 1A), Matt Frutiger (1G), Bryson Black (1G), Joe Gehrig (1G), Taylor Dougan (1G), Justin Cox (1G), Tyler Bolton (1G), Nathan Glander (1A).

Portland State: Mark Iliyn (3G), Dan Hochspeier (1G, 1A), Spenser Brock (1G), Taylor Dougan (1G), Clay Malensek (1A).

Team Vice President, Tyler Bolton, on Western Oregon's returners. "Along with many other returning players, Bryson and Nathan were playing at a very high level. Both guys showed versatility and contributed offensively. Each player tallied points in the first day and came into this past weekend playing at a higher level than they had at the end of last season."

Senior Captain, Matt Frutiger, on Western Oregon's incoming class. "We have several freshman that are fighting for starting spots. Knowing that they have fire in their eyes and the desire to compete at the highest levels is honestly all I want from our freshman. Our two freshman poles, Griffin and Corey, came out and started playing really hard showing us they need to be on the field."