KEARNS, Utah — Big Ten Division Champion/No. 5-ranked Michigan State University overcame a four-all tie at halftime with Northwest Division Champion/No. 10 the University of Oregon as the Spartans downed the Ducks, 13-8, in the opening round of the 2023 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Utah at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center.
Courtesy the win, Michigan State advances to a 12:30 p.m. Mountain quarterfinal clash on Saturday, November 11, with the victor of a first round match-up between Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Colorado and Southeast Division Champion the University of Alabama. Oregon will take on the fallen from the Buffaloes/Crimson Tide showdown at 7:30 p.m. this evening in the consolation side of the championship bracket with hopes of playing back to a Ninth Place finish in the 16-team field.
The Spartans wasted little time in acquiring the lead as Player of the Game Mert Ali Yener (Fr., Istanbul, Turkey) torqued in an opening tally 11 seconds into the game. Chandler Jones (Sr., Hudsonville, Mich.) cushioned the lead to a pair by burying a man-up chance with three seconds left in the first quarter to make it 2-0 after seven minutes.
The Ducks quacked back, however, as Hunter Pilarski (Jr., San Jose, Calif.) (6:26, man-up) and Aj Iboa Garcia (Sr., Eugene, Ore.) (5:56) commenced the second quarter with back-to-back strikes to balance the scoreboard at two-all. Ben Deininger (So., Ann Arbor, Mich.) pushed Michigan State back in front 4-2 with tallies at 4:29 and 3:43, but David Mitrovcan Morgan (So., Novi Sad, Serbia) and Will Rowell (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif.) delivered responses at 2:01 and 1:23, respectively, to knot the teams at four-all heading into halftime.
Michigan State pulled away in the third quarter as Yener (6:39, 2:28 man-up, 1:32), Logan Stevens (Fr., Rockford, Mich.) (3:39) and Deininger (3:19) combined for a 5-0 outburst as the Spartans sprinted out to a 9-4 margin following intermission. Rowell snapped MSU’s offensive surge with 1:16 left in the frame to inch Oregon back to within four at 9-5 with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
Nate Chalmers (Jr., Hudsonville, Mich.) (6:46, man-up) and Greg Damidot (Sr., Lake Forest, Ill.) (5:26, 4:57 penalty shot) built upon the lead in the opening moments of the fourth quarter to enlarge the spread to 12-5.
Oregon, however, refused to fly South as Gaven Brady (So., San Diego, Calif.) (4:05) and Morgan (3:31) dented the twine to move the Ducks back to within five at 12-7. From there, the teams exchanged final scoring blows as Wesley Obetts (Sr., Hudsonville, Mich.) landed a man-up shot for Michigan State at 2:36 prior to Rowell capping off his squad’s offense with 1:27 left on the clock for the 13-8 final score.
For Oregon, Rowell (three) and Morgan (two) racked up multi-goal games, while Pilarski, Garcia and Brady slipped in solo markers.
Yener (four), Deininger (three) and Damidot (two) accounted for nine of Michigan State’s 13 tallies with Stevens, Obetts, Chalmers and Jones depositing the remainder.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 10 University of Oregon |
0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | 8 |
| No. 5 Michigan State University | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | – | 13 |
| MSU Goals: | Mert Ali Yener (4); Ben Deininger (3); Greg Damidot (2); Logan Stevens; Wesley Obetts; Nate Chalmers; Chandler Jones | |||||
| Oregon Goals: | Will Rowell (3); David Mitrovcan Morgan (2); Hunter Pilarski; Aj Iboa Garcia; Gaven Brady | |||||
| Exclusions: | MSU – 3 ; Oregon – 8 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | MSU – 5-for-8 ; Oregon 1-for-3 | |||||
| Sprints: | MSU – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Oregon – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | MC – Oregon (David Mitrovcan Morgan, 2:58 left in 4th Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Andrew Mattson, Victor Nguyen | |||||
University of Oregon’s Carter Sloane (#11)
University of Oregon’s Hunter Kincaid (#1)
The University of Oregon’s Carter Sloane (#11) menaces Michigan State University’s Patrick Tutt (#7)
