Straker’s game-winner lifts ASU over Boston College

(Photo: Jodi Vosika/ASU Lacrosse)

Justin Straker dodged to his right from behind the net, spun around on the left wing and launched the ball into the back of the net with four minutes remaining to give Arizona State an 8-7 win over 8-seed Boston College.

“It was a little relieving to be honest,” Straker said. “[Cooper Pickell] had four tries. He also had an unlucky one. I had an unlucky one in the first quarter. Our shots just weren’t falling.”

Going into the fourth quarter, Arizona State led Boston College 7-6. With an almost identical goal to Straker’s game-winner, Reed Spencer dodged to his left, leaped from the right wing and tied the game at seven goals apiece with about 12 minutes left in the game.

That was the last time an Eagle sent a ball past ASU goalie Chris DeLuca.

“I felt we dug deep and made the plays that we needed to make toward to end of the game,” ASU head coach Chris Malone said.

Efforts from Straker (two goals, one assist) and the ASU defense helped the Sun Devils come out on top after a very dramatic fourth quarter.

BC attacker John Lambrecht fired an open shot that DeLuca deflected away about 30 seconds before Straker scored his game-winner. After Arizona State went ahead, Brayton Wadella dove to stop an Eagle from scoring and he went to the penalty box after his hit. In the man down situation, captain Ian Connell’s defense held long enough for him to intercept a pass, and so that the Sun Devils could run out the penalty time.

“I thought the last four minutes went pretty smooth,” Malone said. “We had a little hiccup there at the end, but our defense worked out and we made a great stop, which they did a lot during the course of the game.”

Neither side was able to extend its lead farther than two goals, but the sophomore second midfield line in white gave ASU the advantage it needed in the middle quarters.

“You know our guys are always energetic and always ready to go,” Nick Hillier said.

Finn Wells created Straker’s first goal early in the second quarter to tie the game at three.

After Logan Quinn and Robert Van Fossan moved the score to 4-4, Tyler Buck carried the ASU offense in the final five minutes of the first half with a goal and an assist.

Adam Beauchamp, who hadn’t scored in 37 days, kept the momentum rolling as he caught Buck’s cross-field pass and scored to increase ASU’s lead to 6-4 before the half.

The Eagles tied the game with two goals about 11 minutes after the break, but Beauchamp wouldn’t let the game stay tied 6-6 for long.

“Obviously helping the team out in a close game like that is always something that is going to feel good,” Beauchamp said. “So getting the two in the middle of the game to keep the momentum on our side and not let them take it over was a good feeling for me and a good feeling for the rest of my teammates for sure.”

Buck was hit hard and went down just minutes later. He left the field injured clutching his lower right rib cage, which the ASU trainer treated on the sideline during the fourth quarter.

“I think we got to see how he does over the course of the night,” Malone said. “Personally I don’t know what’s wrong with him right now, so I haven’t been told anything, but we will treat him tonight, see how he is doing tomorrow and just play it by ear.”

Arizona State took 14 more shots than Boston College. BC goalie Mike Shepard made 14 saves with a .636 save percentage

“I thought their goalie did great,” Malone said. “I thought he made some huge saves throughout the whole game. You’ve just got to keep shooting, and you’ve got to get out of it. You can’t think twice about your shot so we just told the guys to ‘keep shooting, and they will eventually drop.”’

ASU is one of the three Southwestern Lacrosse Conference teams to advance to the MCLA Final Four, as Chapman and UC Santa Barbara also made it.

Arizona State will play fourth-seeded Chapman Thursday at 7:45 p.m. PST.

You can reach Anthony Prosceno on Twitter @The_A_Pro or via email at aproscen@asu.edu

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