Glendale, Ariz.– Arizona Christian opened up the 2026 season with their first home game, but ultimately, lost a close one against Oregon State University, 9-8. Despite playing a division I program, the Firestorm held on and only lost by a one goal difference. Tristan Watters led the team with three goals, followed by Gavin Waddell with two goals. 


Game Info 

• Score: Arizona Christian - 8, Oregon State - 9
• Records: Arizona Christian - 0-1, Oregon State - 1-0
• Location: ACU Lacrosse Field, Glendale, AZ

ACU Stats

• Tristan Watters - 3 goals, 1 assist, 1 ground ball
• Gavin Waddell - 2 goals, 3 assists, 2 ground balls
• Carson Brown - 2 goals
• Hayden Wegner - 1 goal, 1 assist
• Kale Parthen - 7 ground balls, 17 faceoff wins
• Gavin Hale - 9 goals allowed, 14 saves 

Inside The Game

• In the first quarter, the Firestorm opened up the game with the first goal of the day scored by freshman Hayden Wegner. 
• ACU's offense stayed quiet for the remainder of the quarter, while the defense, led by sophomore Cody Musser, only let up 3 goals. 
• End of the quarter, Oregon State leads 3-1.
• In the second quarter, the Firestorm had a much more productive second quarter on offense, scoring 4 goals, which would outscore the Beavers by one. 
• Tristan Watters would shine with 2 goals this quarter despite battling a thumb injury. 
• On defense, the guys remained consistent, letting up 3 goals again, with freshman Gavin Hale getting his first career save in goal. 
• The score at halftime was 6-5 OSU.
• The third quarter was where this game got exciting. 
• Gavin Hale, in the goal, racked up a handful of saves right away, and the Firestorm offense stayed hot, scoring 2 more goals, led by sophomore Gavin Waddell. 
• The defense had its best quarter of the day, only allowing one goal, score going into the fourth was 7-7.
• The fourth quarter would be a little bit slower, with penalties from each team, mainly 2 big ones from the firestorm, allowing man-up goals for Oregon State. 
• ACU got one goal compared to Oregon State's two, ultimately losing the game 9-8 to start of the season 0-1.

Next Up
On Friday, the Firestorm will host Arizona State University on the ACU Lacrosse Field at 5pm.