Fairfield and Providence. Men’s lacrosse season-opener. A one-goal game in the final seconds. A controversial ending.
History did indeed repeat itself and that suited the Stags just fine, as a familiar script coincided with the team’s seventh consecutive season-opening victory and a thrilling 7-6 overtime win over rival Providence this past Saturday.
Freshman Doug Kuring, the ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week, scored the game-winning goal with 2:02 remaining in overtime. The possession came after the Stags forced a failure to advance call on Providence, who began the bonus period on extra-man offense.
“I actually didn’t even see [the goal],” Kuring told Lacrosse Magazine. “I got hit to the ground and someone tackled me to the ground again. I didn’t realize until all the guys were coming up, so it was pretty exciting.”
Head Coach Ted Spencer said he was pleased with the way the Stags responded in the clutch.
“I think we did a lot of good things,” said Spencer. “We began to do things on the field against Providence much, much better than we have had in the previous weeks.”
While the end of overtime was noteworthy, the end of regulation was a story in and of itself.
Two consecutive goals for the Friars at the onset of the fourth quarter gave Providence a one-goal advantage, a lead it would hold for a majority of the quarter.
The Stags finally broke through in the game’s waning moments. With a mere 51 seconds remaining in regulation, midfielder Dan Boudreau answered the call and scored on a pass from fellow senior Brian Stanton to tie the game at six.
One season ago, Boudreau scored the game-winner in a one-goal win over the Friars on Alumni Field.
The even score, however, was short-lived, as the Friars quickly responded.
A few seconds later, Providence appeared to have a victory secured when Devin McBride scored what would have been his third goal of the day and the game-winner.
However, Spencer and the Fairfield bench asked for a stick-check call from the referees. Upon deliberation, referee Bruce Crawford ruled that McBride’s stick had an illegal pocket, thus reversing the goal and reinstating a 6-6 score.
“When any guy is able to get through two players, especially against a first team All-New England player [Matt Scanlon], we had some concerns about it,” said Spencer. “If you have an illegal stick, you’re at an advantage.”
“The bottom line is that the rules are the rules,” he added.
Controversy is nothing new for these two teams. In last year’s contest, a late hit from a Providence midfielder after time had expired resulted in a melee, a raucous, unforeseen ending to a feisty game.
The officials’ decision on McBride’s stick meant overtime, far from new territory for these teams. Two seasons ago, Fairfield suffered a crushing 11-10 overtime loss at Providence, despite an early four-goal deficit.
In overtime, Providence began with possession due to a 30-second pushing penalty on Fairfield. Pressure from the Stags’ defensive ride, though, resulted in a Providence turnover and gave the possession back to Fairfield – a possession that gave a freshman playing in his first collegiate game a chance to be the hero.
The rest was history.
Spencer was pleasantly surprised with the poise of his youthful lineup. The Stags started four freshmen on offense in the season-opener, two on attack and two on a midfield line.
“For these freshmen, they really have to learn the ropes as we go,” said Spencer. “The [freshmen] are a little tight right now, not as loose as they could possibly be, but I think that, with some time and with some success, that will work itself out.”
Still, Spencer said that the combination of steady veterans and promising rookies could result in yet another strong season for the Stags.
“I think from the preseason to the first game, we began to do things on the field against Providence much, much better than we have had in the previous weeks,” said Spencer. “We’re just looking to get better day by day.”
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