Hartsville, SC - The Coker University Men's Lacrosse Team the Lander Bearcats by one point in their home opener for the 2022-23 season.
Starting off the game hot, Cal Gibson found his way to the cage between defenders and scored within the first 55 seconds. The Cobras continued with momentum, Cal Gibson scoring his second goal of the day not even five minutes later, once again unassisted. Lander finally answered back with a goal of their own, scored by Carter Wilcox (assisted by Blake Moore). Coker and Lander played head to head throughout the first quarter. Blake Schoknecht (assisted by Jake Brundage) earned his first goal of the game, ripping it between defenders and placing it on the far right post to put the Cobras up 3-1. The Cobras went on to score one more goal to close out the first quarter and take their lead to 4-2. Throughout the first quarter, Coker was able to get off 10 shots compared to the 11 by Lander.
Carrying the team's energy into the next quarter, Justin Beighey claimed his first goal of the game despite playing man-down due to penalties. Even with the tremendous offensive drive by The Cobras, Lander continued to fight and rattled of six consecutive goals to end the second quarter. This now brought the score to 6-8, Coker being down by two. With numerous false start calls and heavy pressure from Lander's offense, Coker continued to push their way through and Will Habel (assisted by Blake Schoknecht) scored the sixth goal, putting the Cobras within reaching distance of reclaiming the lead. Lander kept up, pulling their lead to 6-9 and not stopping. The Bearcats's Carter Wilcox was able to land a bounce-shot over Ethan Hofert's head before the end of the 3rd quarter. Cal Gibson, Blake Schokneckt, Zyaire Marshall, and Ryan Forehand despite being battered by defenders, found the back of the net and brought the game to a standstill at 10-10.
Even with the setbacks of the first half, Coker found their momentum again and took the lead once again with two straight goals from Justin Beighey (assisted by Will Habel) and Blake Schoknecht. Despite a last minute goal by Kyle DeCrispino, Coker took control and held on to their one point lead. The Cobras sealed their fate with one more turnover from Lander and celebrated their second win of the season with a final score of 12-11. Ethan Hofert played the entierty of the game with a hefty 16 saves. Hofert was also successful in 13-20 clears, carrying the ball well past the restraining line and into dangerous territory on more than one occasion. Compared to Lander's seven, the Cobras were able to field 15 ground balls throughout the game. Of those 15 ground balls, Nate Allan claimed six to lead the Cobras. Out of the three extra-man opportunities, Coker succeeded in one.
The Cobras will be returning to the field on Saturday (Feb. 18th) against North Greenville. The first face-off is set for 7 PM in Hartsville, SC. Live stats and streaming will be available at www.cokercobras.com