Come support your Texas Longhorns as they take on NCAA D-III Trine this Wednesday!

Texas vs Trine
March 10, 2010
7PM
Whitaker Fields

Talk about a weekend of firsts for the Texas lacrosse team.

No. 18 Texas made its first roadtrip of the season and played its first ranked opponents when it traveled to St. Louis last weekend.

Unfortunately, the Longhorns also lost their first game of the year when they fell to eleventh-ranked Colorado State 12-6 on Saturday night.

The final score was not indicative of how close the competition was for the majority of the game. The Horns reached the scoreboard first but gave up four straight goals in the second quarter to enter the break down 3-6.

Nevertheless, they never trailed by more tan three tallies until late in the fourth quarter when a surge of goals by CSU gave the Rams a sizeable lead.

Despite missing a number of starters, Texas came close to nipping Colorado State, a team that narrowly lost to No. 2 Chapman at last year’s national tournament and is currently undefeated. Attackman Charles Fraser led the way with three points off one goal and two assists.

Texas also dropped a close one to No. 17 Lindenwood on Sunday by the score of 12-10. In a back and forth battle that saw both teams build early leads, only to have them erased later on, neither squad could establish dominance.

Again lacking some crucial starters due to injury, the Longhorns nevertheless came out of the gates swinging.

Texas scored first but a trio of man-up goals gave the Lions a 3-1 advantage after 15 minutes. In the second period, the Horns came roaring back and outscored their opponents 3-1 to enter the break down by just a goal.

The third quarter was even more dramatic as Texas tied the game just minutes in only to fall behind 10-9 at the end of the quarter. Lindenwood held on, despite some close shots by the Horns, and the final score dealt the Horns their second loss of the season.

The Longhorns return to practice this week as they prepare for their second conference game of the season at Baylor on Thursday.

By Will Anderson

Scott, center, with older brothers

Here’s what happened, according to Kevin:

“About six months ago, on Aug. 1, 2009, 17-year-old Scott Dolezal had a heart attack and collapsed during the final lap of a cross-country race at his high school. A groundskeeper was driving past him right before it happened and had the presence of mind to call 911 and yell out for help. Dr. William Barber, the father of one of Scott's teammates, was able to get Scott's heart started again with the help of a few other runners and the athletic trainers at Westminster. He was rushed to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, and his condition was very critical and the outcome uncertain. He was set into an induced coma in order to lower his body temperature and preserve brain function, and over the next few days an incredible team of doctors, "Team Scott," worked without rest to keep Scott in the best possible condition.

In order to keep him alive, he was put on a machine to oxygenate his blood externally. One risk of this machine is the formation of blood clots in the legs, and this risk eventually became reality, leading to the amputation of the lower part of Scott’s right leg. Thanks to Team Scott and to Scott's unbelievable strength, doctors were able to wake him up a few days later. Though he had a long road ahead of him, he woke up with perfect brain function and surprisingly strong heart function.

Scott was in the hospital for 51 days before finally being released, and a few weeks later he flew up to the Cleveland Clinic to have open-heart surgery and fix the problem that caused the heart attack. Like every other procedure he had, he recovered speedily and was back home in Atlanta 48 hours after his surgery.

He is back at school full time this semester, a junior in high school at Westminster, and he is going through physical therapy to get used to his prosthetic leg. Scott was the leading scorer of his high school lacrosse team as an attackman last year, and though he can't play this season he will still be involved with the team as much as possible.”

The team decided to dedicate the season to Scott not only because of his close relationship with Kevin, who is a junior defenseman and a vocal team leader, but also because of Scott’s character and bravery in the face of hardship. The entire Texas lacrosse program stands behind the Dolezal family and especially Scott as he shows all of us how to truly live a righteous and virtuous life.

By Will Anderson