Photo by Carsen Maciag/ The Siskiyou
Members of the SOU lacrosse team hone their skills during a Jan. 25 practice meet. The team currently holds a 7-6 overall record and a 4-5 league record. SOU will face Western Washington in a playoff

It was all Southern Oregon on a cold, snowy Saturday afternoon, defeating College of Idaho 15-7 and locking up their third straight playoff appearance.

SOU came out on all cylinders in the opening period, scoring the first three goals of the game, taking all the air out of C of I. The Yotes cut the lead to 3-1, but SOU came right back, scoring three straight goals. Bubba Van Egdon found teammate Drew Anderson streaking down the left side for a goal.

The Raider-dominated first period wrapped up with Van Egdon scoring a goal with four seconds left, giving SOU a 7-2 lead. Van Egdon was a huge factor in the first half, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists, helping SOU take an overwhelming lead.

The second quarter was much like the first, with Van Egdon in the right place at the right time when he picked up a loose ball and hit team captain Alex White for a goal with just 55 seconds gone in the period. White had another impressive performance Saturday, scoring five goals while handing out one assist, giving him 55 points on the season.

C of I cut the lead to 9-4 with 9:50 remaining in the period, but again SOU refused to let them back in the game, scoring four out of the next five goals, including senior standout Dan Snell scoring his second goal after winning a face-off. Southern took a commanding 13-5 lead heading into intermission.

The Yotes tried to stay close, cutting their defect to 13-7 in the second half behind attack man Collin Burke, who scored three goals on the day. But that’s as close as it got, as Southern’s defense proved to be too strong, holding C of I to only 16 shots the entire game. Goaltender Zach Baumann saved more than 50 percent of those 16 shots while capturing his first win as the starter.

The game’s final goal came with a little over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, giving SOU a 15-7 victory.

"We had moments of good play, but it was still a little sloppy out there," said White. "If we’re going to win in the playoffs, we need to improve on not getting so many penalties."

With the combination of their win on Saturday and a loss on Sunday, Southern improves to 7-6 overall and 4-5 in league play. SOU will start their playoff journey next week when they take on Western Washington in the first round.