Steven Evans, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
The Vikings Lacrosse team (12-4) defeated the Millsaps College Majors (5-9) in the quarterfinals of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) tournament 17-4 on Saturday to earn a spot in the tournament’s final four.
This game was the second that the Vikings defeated Millsaps this season. On Sunday, April 14 the Vikings beat the Majors with a score of 15-2 to claim the SAA regular season title.
In the quarterfinal match sophomore attack Blake Gwizdalski scored four goals and added four assists, being a primary scorer for the Vikings in the match.
The Vikings held a 7-3 lead at halftime, but scored the majority of their points in the third quarter.
“We actually came out pretty slow because we were wrongly playing down to [Millsaps],” sophomore goalie Brandon Sanders said. “It was about the third quarter that we started scoring and started playing as a team like we normally play. Because it was the quarterfinals game, we should have come out stronger, but we finally realized that this game was a big game especially for momentum, so we finally showed up after halftime.”
Sanders made three saves in the game, while starting goalie junior Jordan Boreman made four and freshman goalkeeper Nick Voso added one save.
Sophomore attack Cory Hall added four more points for the Vikings, while sophomore midfielder Grand Phillips scored three more.
“The game was a good building block for what we have to accomplish,” Hall said. “It was the first round for us, and we got an easy win. Now we have to show up and play Centre on Friday and come out and play like we did this weekend to beat them and play most likely Sewanee: The University of the South in the championship game.”
The Vikings defeated Sewanee on April 6 when Hall made the Vikings’ game-winning shot with one second left in regulation to prevent the game from entering overtime.
The Vikings will play in the semifinals against the Centre College Colonels tomorrow. The Colonels handed the Vikings their SAA loss this season, defeating them on March 23 with a score of 16-14 after the Vikings blew an 8-5 halftime lead.
“The game [tomorrow] is a redemption game,” Sanders said. “They are the only team who beat us in regulation. We just have to come out playing the best game we can. We have been working all week to be able to beat them this time. Sewanee beat them, and we beat Sewanee, so I think we can turn this game into a win.”