By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor In April, the Oregon Starz and Rhino Lacrosse clubs officially united in an attempt to bring all the best players in the state together for major events.
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. –
Judging by the team’s performance at the Adrenaline Shootout, the merger is an unqualified success.
Middie Peter Baum scored the game-winning goal 11 minutes into sudden-death overtime to give the newly-formed Oregon Rhino Bloodsharks a thrilling, 8-7 victory over the Wild Card Starz in the championship game of the upper-level Adrenaline Division Sunday afternoon at Sonoma State University.
Baum capped the longest championship game in Adrenaline Shootout history when he dodged around a defender and beat sensational Wild Card goalie Robert Bazlen with a low shot to give the club its first Adrenaline title.
“They played me a little high, and I saw room underneath,” Baum said. “I thought I could beat my guy. I lost the ball a little, got it back, the goalie was out and I put it past him.”
Baum scored the game’s final two goals, as Oregon (7-1) rallied from a three-goal, second-half deficit. Baum scored the equalizer with 4:15 remaining in regulation.
“We merged the teams in Oregon with the goal of making it to the final,” Baum said. “It was just a complete team effort. A lot of these kids have been coming to this tournament since the 7th grade. It’s really big for them to come out on top.”
Attackman-middie Nathan Fritts scored a team-high three goals, attackman Andrew Clayton added a pair of goals and middie Aaron Prosser scored once for the Rhino Bloodsharks. Towson University-bound middie Alec Jernstedt dished two assists, and attackman Sean Silverstein had one assist.
In a losing effort, attackman Charlie Fisher dished four assists, attackman Jacob Hippensteel scored three goals and University of Maryland-bound attackman Madison Fiore had a goal and two assists for Wild Card, which is comprised of players from Arizona, Las Vegas and Northern California. Middie Charles Curtis added two goals, middie Cody Soberanes scored once and middie Devin Chiappari dished an assist for Wild Card, which won the Adrenaline Challenge in January.
Bazlen, who will be playing collegiately at Sacred Heart, saved 22 shots, including four in overtime.
“Hands down, he was amazing,” Fritts said. “He’s definitely the best keeper I’ve played against at this point in my career. Hats off to him. He’s amazing. The saves he was making in overtime, he was unconscious. It was just sick.”
Wild Card (5-3-1) led 4-2 at halftime thanks in large part to Bazlen. Oregon outshot Wild Card, 19-10, in the first half, but Bazlen saved 10 shots during the opening 25 minutes.
Wild Card extended its lead to 6-3 after Fiore finished a feed from Chiappari with 19 minutes to play in regulation, but Oregon answered with a three-goal run. Clayton tied the game, 6-6, when he scored with 10 minutes to play.
“We didn’t get down when we went down a couple goals,” Fritts said. “We knew we had it in us. We just had to step it up.”
Hippensteel scored his third of the game to put Wild Card back up with nine minutes remaining. Baum answered after Wild Card heroically killed off a two-man disadvantage.
In the overtime, Bazlen stuffed Clayton twice from point-blank range to keep Wild Card alive, but there were only so many shots he could stop.
“We played hard the whole game,” Bazlen said. “That game was ours to win. Just a couple things on defense didn’t work out. We played with our hearts. That’s all you can ask for, really. Sometimes, you can’t save them all.”
Wild Card Starz (5-3-1) 4 3 0 — 7
Oregon Rhino Bloodsharks (7-1) 2 5 1 — 8
Goals: WC: Jacob Hippensteel 3, Charles Curtis 2, Madison Fiore, Cody Soberanes. ORB: Nathan Fritts 3, Andrew Clayton 2, Peter Baum 2, Aaron Prosser.
Assists: WC: Charlie Fisher 4, Fiore 2, Devin Chiappari. ORB: Alec Jernstedt 2, Sean Silverstein.
Saves: WC: Robert Bazlen 22. ORB Dustyn Lyons 4, Matthew Mohr 2.
Shots: WC: 28. ORB: 41.
Man-Up Opportunities: WC: 1-3. ORB: 0-4.
laxbuzz
