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After three weeks where the Canby Cougar lacrosse team played two games, the Cougars were back in full force with three games in the past week. Canby lost in their first league game to the ever-impressive Lakeridge, but notched two nonleague victories over Sherwood and Sheldon.
The Cougars (5-3, 0-1 Three Rivers League) began their week with a road game against the Bowmen (4-2). What started out as a sunny day quickly turned into your typical Oregon spring; Canby dealt with all sorts of elements — ranging from sunny skies to pure rain — against Sherwood.
“We weren’t sure how this game was going to go,” Cougars head coach Trey Bellmore said.”It started snowing on us in warm-up and turned into a downpour.”
Despite, these elements, goalie Logan Corley stepped up defensively. The freshman had 20 saves to keep the Bowmen off the attack. Offensively, the Cougars braved the weather and wind, scoring six goals. Those six turned out to be just enough, as the defense held for a gritty 6-5 win.
In their second game of the week, the Cougars ran into a buzz saw in the Lake Oswego Lakers (9-1, 2-0 TRL) for their first league game of the year. The Lakers, fresh off of their only loss of the season and hungry for redemption, came out strong.
Despite this, the Cougars didn’t break in the first half. At halftime, they trailed just 5-7 against one of the top teams in the state. That first half magic slowly subsided as the Canby O was unable to score in the third quarter.
While Lake Oswego pulled away in the 13-7 win, Bellmore still saw the game as proof of Canby’s skill.
“We made a lot of great strides and I think the boys know they can compete with anybody in the state.” the first-year head coach said. “Lake Oswego is a very well-coached team and always a top team in the state, so it was really good to see what we do well and what we need to work on.”
The Cougars made use of that knowledge, stampeding past Sheldon (3-4, 1-0 Southwest Conference) on Saturday to conclude their week. Aidan Pedro’s defensive prowess caught the eye of Bellmore, not only in the game but during the week.
The Cougar defense has come a long way since their season-opening 4-14 loss to Sunset, only allowing more than 10 points in a game once more.
The Cougars really get into the swing of the season with three more games this week, all on the road. Canby will face league foes Lakeridge and Oregon City, while also playing Glencoe in a midweek meetup. Tuesday’s game at Lakeridge is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m.
