GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Pepperdine’s men’s lacrosse club won its first game of the season Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park when the Waves trounced the Knights of Cal Lutheran University. However, San Diego State Uiversity’s club team came to Alumni Park Sunday and handed Pepperdine its third loss of the season.
Pepperdine’s 18-3 victory over Cal Lutheran was a thing of beauty. Cal Lutheran gave up eight-straight goals to the Waves, spanning nearly two quarters before the Knights were able to strike back with any scores of their own. The Waves then responded with nine more goals in quick succession to make the game 17-1 by the middle of the third quarter.
The Waves’ 18-goal outburst was the highest total for Pepperdine since scoring 19 against Cal Lutheran in 2005 during a 19-2 rout. Waves’ senior Kevin Longo was excited about the way the team played against the Knights.
“I was pretty proud of the way we played,” Longo said. “We got so far ahead that they started getting chippy and just tried to start fights. I’m just glad that none of our guys got into it with them.”
The Waves could have scored a few more goals in the game, but sportsmanship prevailed, according to Longo.
“We could’ve made that game 25 or 26 to 2,” Longo said. “In the beginning of the second half we had our defense playing forward so we weren’t really trying at the end.”
Pepperdine’s second game of the weekend came against SDSU, a powerful club with Western Collegiate Lacrosse League title aspirations. In a tough match that saw plenty of big hits on both sides, the Aztecs managed to take down Pepperdine 9-5.
The loss wasn’t a surprise for the Waves, since they’re a B-division team playing against a more experienced A-division squad. Longo said the team won’t get too down because of the setback, especially since they kept the score close for most of the game.
“We played well in the first two minutes, but after that we started going downhill in the first quarter,” Longo said. “They were up 4-1 after the first. We played well after that but we couldn’t make up the difference.”
Pepperdine’s next match is at BIOLA, a match Longo said could get physical because BIOLA’s players are transplants from a different sport.
“BIOLA traditionally has zero skill,” Longo said. “They just get football players out there who like to hit and try to kill people. We’ve got to really keep our heads up in the game, but otherwise it won’t be a problem.”
02-16-2006