La Costa Canyon Mavericks

January 10th, 2011
By Jill R. Dorson
WSL Managing Editor

SAN DIEGO – While the San Diego Shredderz were celebrating, head coach Jesse Foss was contemplating how cold the water might be.

After his team won its first Adrenaline Lacrosse Elite Division championship on Sunday at the Del Mar Polo Fields, Foss was preparing to get wet.

“Coach said he’d go in the dunk tank if we won this game,” said goalie Eric Sanschagrin.

Foss isn’t quite sure that’s how it happened. And he was hoping his team would be less successful at the tank than on the field.

“Sometimes, when they’re this amped, they miss,” he quipped.

The Shredderz did anything but miss throughout in the final, when they upset top-seeded Brady’s Bunch, 7-3, behind a three-goal performance from attackman Brendan Gaughan. Brady’s Bunch was making its third appearance in four years in the final. The team won the Challenge in 2008 and advanced to championship in 2009.

The victory was a bit of revenge for the Shredderz, who lost to Brady’s Bunch in the final of the Adrenaline Shootout last July.

“This one felt sweet,” Sanschagrin said.

As he was throughout the tournament, Sanschargin was key to the Shredderz win. He saved 13 shots in the championship.

“Sick,” said Brady’s Bunch head coach Mike Wein, as he went through the hand-shake line after the game. “Just sick, Eric.”

While Sanschagrin kept the Brady’s Bunch offense mostly at bay, the Shredderz broke a 2-2 tie at the start of the second half when attackman Sean Hayden scored in traffic. Minutes later, middie Mike Gennuso scored the first of his two second-half goals to make it 4-2.

Brady’s Bunch cut the lead to one when middie Tyler Ekeroth, ranked the No. 1 senior in the West, put in a hard shot from the right side about halfway through the second half.

But the Shredderz scored three goals in quick succession to make it 7-3 with about 10 minutes to play. Brady’s Bunch pressured the net, but Sanschagrin batted the shots away.

The Shredderz hope the tournament victory is a sign of things to come. The team is made up primarily of La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School players, and they use the event as a tune-up for the season, which begins in two months.

“We had guys who didn’t play but a few minutes last year really step up in this tournament,” said Sanschagrin. “It’s going to be a good year.”
Photos by Anna Scipione