Chapman entered Tucson on Saturday looking for revenge against the Arizona men's lacrosse team.
Thanks to their big guns on offense, the Laxcats left the Panthers on the outside looking in for the rest of the postseason.
Junior attackman Adam Paris scored a season-high-tying six goals and added an assist for the Laxcats, who rode 26 frontline points to defeat Chapman 19-9 in the quarterfinal round of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League playoffs.
Arizona's first postseason victory since 2002 came in front of a Murphey Stadium crowd already accustomed to the outcome. The Laxcats (13-3) won their fourth straight game at home, adding to their 5-1 mark during the regular season.
"It was the last home game for our seniors, and we had been talking about having such a fluidity," Paris said. "(On Saturday), we proved we are capable of that."
Paris and sophomore attackman Greg Pohlheber combined for three goals and two assists in the pivotal second period, when Arizona stretched a one-goal first-quarter lead to five. Pohlheber, who finished with eight points on three goals and five assists, scored the final two netters to make it 9-4 at the half.
"We figured out the other team's defense early on," Laxcats head coach Kenny Broschart said.
Looking to avenge Arizona's 12-6 victory on the Panthers' home field in March, Chapman (9-6) remained aggressive throughout the match, poking,
prodding and shoving its point across. The teams combined for 13 penalties, including three by Arizona in the first and fourth periods.
Attackman Danny Metoyer led the Panthers with three goals. Midfielder Matt Goto added a goal and an assist.
The Panthers' nine goals were the most allowed by the Laxcats since March 14.
"We had a good effort, but there were some mental mistakes that hurt us throughout the game on defense," Broschart said. "Otherwise, we played pretty well."
With the victory, Arizona takes another step toward its goal of a national championship. The WCLL Semifinals take place May 1-2 in Los Angeles. The United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates National Championships begin May 10 in St. Louis.
"It is really hard to beat a team twice, and they were really trying to maintain such a threat," Paris said. "But because (Chapman) had traveled, and because we had a longer-due revenge from the previous year - them keeping us from going to St. Louis - our desire for the ball was greater than theirs."
Laxcats notes:
Arizona abandoned its typical white-and-red jerseys for Saturday's game, instead donning navy blue. Team president Mickey Miles-Felton rushed to get the uniforms approved after learning that Chapman's road jerseys had been stolen. ... Panthers attackman Aaron Hightower and Laxcats attackman Harrison Crawford engaged in a brief shoving match in the middle of the fourth quarter. Both players served a one-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. "He was getting a little dirty, and I lost my cool and shoved him back," Crawford said. "Emotions ran high." Crawford scored four goals and had two assists in only his second game at attack after moving from midfield ... Senior midfielder Jeems Lochridge scored three goals and two assists in his final home game for Arizona. Fellow seniors Tom Wiley and Jared Peter went scoreless.