Sophomore Eric Uhl (left) and senior Braxton Campbell (right) each had two goals in the MCLA semifinal win over BYU.

Greenville, SC – After spotting the #4 Brigham Young Cougars the first three goals of the game, the #1 Colorado State University Rams battled back in an emotional and physical MCLA semifinal contest to earn a 9-7 win and a berth in the MCLA championship game for the second year in a row.  Nothing came easy for the Rams on a hot and humid day at Sirrine Stadium in Greenville, SC as BYU and CSU squared off for the third consecutive year in the tournament semifinals.

The game was nip and tuck throughout and featured four ties and four lead changes as the two perennial MCLA heavyweights duked it out with their seasons on the line.

Brigham Young came out firing in the first quarter, scoring the first three goals of the game as CSU struggled to gain its footing against their RMLC rivals.  But CSU bounced back in the second quarter, scoring three of their own goals to tie the game headed into halftime.  Braxton Campbell (Summit HS / Silverthorne, CO) scored the first of his two goals to jumpstart CSU’s offense, which had been otherwise held in check by the Cougars for the first 21 minutes of the game.

Headed into the second half, CSU took their first lead of the game at 4-3 when senior Alex Devlin (Langley HS / Langley, VA) spun and ripped home a shot with 10:54 remaining in the third.  But the Cougars would not go quietly, going on a two-goal run of their own to retake the lead just two minutes later.  After some furious back and forth action, sophomore Mike Wolff (Don Bosco Prep / Ramsey, NJ) tied the score at 5-5 with 1:03 remaining in the third as the teams went to the decisive fourth quarter all tied up.

BYU took the lead again at 6-5 when Jake Ferrin blasted one home, but the Rams were about to go on a decisive three-goal run over about seven minutes of game-time.  The run was punctuated when freshman Eric Uhl (The Masters School / Simsbury, CT) tore down the alley and slammed one home to put the Rams up by two.  Jake Arbon answered right back for the Cougars, but junior Sean Smith (Amherst HS / Amherst, NY)  got topside on his defender and stuck a shot nearside against BYU goalkeeper Rob Ostler to put the finishing touches on the scoring.

BYU outshot CSU on the evening, taking 30 to the Rams 27.  Clearing was a relative struggle for both teams, who failed on five different occasions each throughout the game.  CSU’s man-up unit, which had been running at a 50% clip going into the game, didn’t register a goal in its three chances while BYU went 1-4 with the man advantage.

Colorado State (20-0 overall) moves to the MCLA championship game for the second year in a row and the ninth time in school history.  The win over the Cougars was the second this season and made the all-time MCLA playoff series 5-3 in favor of the Rams after CSU eliminated BYU in the 2012 semifinals as well.  The Cougars finish the season at 16-5 and with their sixth trip to the MCLA semifinals in the last seven seasons.

The Rams will face a familiar opponent on Saturday evening at Sirrine Stadium.  Waiting for them on the other end of the bracket are the #2 Colorado Buffaloes, who advanced to the championship game via wins over Texas, Michigan State and a 5-4 semifinal win against #3 Arizona State.  The Buffs and Rams have met twice in the 2013 season with CSU taking both contests.  The first was a 9-3 triumph in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown at Hughes Stadium and the second was a 9-6 win in the RMLC championship game just two weeks ago in Grand Junction, CO.

It’s also the second time in history that the two teams have met in the MCLA championship game, with the Rams winning a thrilling 8-7 game over the Buffs in 2006.

Senior Josh Gregg notched two goals in the 9-4 MCLA quarterfinal win over Sonoma.

Greenville, SC – In the teams’ first meeting since the 2009 season, the #1 Colorado State Rams leaned on a stalwart defensive effort and balanced scoring to take down #7 Sonoma State in the MCLA quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.  The Rams were tested throughout by the Seawolves, but steadily pulled away en route to their 9-4 win.  CSU’s win moves them into the MCLA semifinals on Thursday afternoon – a trip they have made for three consecutive years.

In a tightly contested first quarter, senior midfielder Josh Gregg (Columbine HS / Littleton, CO) got the scoring going on a spectacular individual effort while the Rams were man-down.  The teams traded goals at the end of the first period, giving CSU a 2-1 lead heading into the second.

After the teams traded goals again to put the lead at 3-2 for the Rams, senior Alex Devlin (Langley HS / Langley, VA) and senior face-off midfielder Dan Warfield (Smoky Hill HS / Aurora, CO) jammed home goals just 11 seconds apart in a key sequence that allowed CSU some breathing room at halftime with a 5-2 lead.

The third quarter was again closely contested as the CSU defense shut out Sonoma’s offense, including Gregg striking again again after weaving through the defense on the opening draw of the quarter.  Mike Wolff (Don Bosco Prep / Ramsey, NJ) added a man-up goal to make it 7-2 heading into the fourth.  From there, things got increasingly sloppy for both teams as the Rams held off the Seawolves’ comeback bid for the 9-4 win.

Wolff led all scorers by adding an assist to his two goals while junior Sean Smith (Amherst HS / Amherst, NY) had two assists for the Rams as well.  Brad Bochesa had two goals for Sonoma to lead the Seawolves.  Junior Koltin Fatzinger (Wheat Ridge HS / Thornton, CO) was terrific in goal for the Rams in the second half, making five big saves.

The win puts Colorado State (19-0 overall) in the MCLA semifinals for the third straight season, where they will play RMLC rival and 4^th seeded BYU.  The Rams and Cougars met in the 2011 and 2012 semifinals with each team taking a game each en route to their national championships.  BYU got to the semifinals by virtue of a 17-14 win over #12 Oregon.  On the other side of the bracket, #2 Colorado took care of #7 Michigan State 9-2 and #3 Arizona State rocked #6 UCSB 15-5.

Senior Dustin Grybinas had three goals in the 20-3 MCLA first round win over Purdue.

Greenville, SC – The first seeded and #1 Colorado State University Rams jumped all over the 16^th seeded Purdue Boilermakers, breezing past the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference champions by a 20-3 score.  The Rams led 6-1 after one, 11-1 at halftime and 16-3 at the end of the third quarter as 16 different Rams registered a point in the MCLA first round tournament game.

CSU scored seemingly at will in the first quarter as six different players scored each of the six goals.  Purdue struggled to find an answer at either end of the field as the Rams outshot the Boilermakers 50-13 on the afternoon.

The Rams were led in scoring by senior midfielder Dustin Grybinas (Kirkwood HS / Kirkwood, MO), who had three goals.  Four other players had three points as well in the dominating effort.  Everyone on the active roster played significant minutes as the CSU subbed liberally throughout.

Colorado State (18-0 overall) advances to the MCLA quarterfinals where they will face-off against the winner of the Boston College vs. Sonoma State game at 7:30pm on Tuesday.  Purdue finishes their season at 9-5, having made team history by appearing in their first MCLA national tournament and winning the GRLC.

CSU celebrates their fourth straight Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference Title.

Grand Junction, Colo. – Saturday was a gorgeous evening for lacrosse on the campus of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO as two of the country’s best MCLA programs got together to determine the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference championship.  Behind the standout efforts of senior attackman Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) and face-off specialist Dan Warfield (Smoky Hill HS / Aurora, CO), the #1 Colorado State Rams took down the #2 Colorado Buffaloes 9-6 to win their fourth straight RMLC title and likely secure the #1 seed in the upcoming MCLA national tournament.

The Rams and Buffs were tied 1-1 late in the second quarter before a key two-goal run just minutes before the half gave CSU a cushion heading into the second half.  After Fisher struck on man-up early in the third quarter, CU bounced back with two goals of their own to make it 4-3.  But Colorado State had one more run in them, reeling off three straight markers to grab a 7-3 lead with 10:00 left that proved insurmountable as the teams headed to the finish.  The teams traded goals to end the game in the fourth quarter, but the Buffs just could not get over the hump to defeat their rivals.

Both teams were a little tight on offense early on, especially CSU, who had 11 first half turnovers.  But Warfield’s dominance at the face-off ‘x’ and a stalwart defensive effort were keys in keeping the Rams in the game until the offense was able to get things moving late in the second quarter.  Warfield was a perfect 6 for 6 in the first half, finished with 13 of 18 totals, and led all players with five groundballs on the night.

Fisher scored all four of his goals in the second half while three of his fellow attackmen were cashing in as well.  Junior Sean Smith (Amherst HS / Amherst, NY) had two goals and two assists, junior Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO) had two goals, and sophomore Mike Wolff (Don Bosco Prep / Ramsey, NJ) got in the act with three assists as well.

The Buffs were led by Riley Seidel and Greg Kelsic, who each had two goals and one assist.  Bradle Macnee had 10 saves for Colorado while CSU’s duo of Jack Regan (Sunset HS / Portland, OR) and Koltin Fatzinger (Wheat Ridge HS / Thornton, CO) combined for 11 in the win.

For the second consecutive game, Colorado outshot the Rams, but the CSU defense was up to the task in holding the Buffs off the scoreboard in key moments of the game.  The Rams made their most hay in the groundball department, winning that category decisively 30-18 and taking 13 of 19 total face-offs to help give CSU the edge in possession time throughout.

With the victory, Colorado State (17-0 overall, 5-0 RMLC) will very likely end up as the #1 seed in the MCLA tournament that kicks off on Monday, May 13 in Greenville, South Carolina.  The win marked the first time in league history that anyone has won four straight RMLC titles, a particularly impressive feat given the success the conference has had on the national stage.

The Buffaloes (15-2 overall, 4-1 RMLC), who were ranked #2 both in the RMLC and nationally coming into the conference tourney will likely be a high seed as well.  Seeds and match-ups will be announced

Junior LSM Tim Miaskiewicz (Mullen HS / Denver, CO) led the Rams with five caused turnovers and five groundballs in the 17-4 RMLC semifinal win over Utah.

Grand Junction, CO – In the first semifinal of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference tournament, the #1 seeded Colorado State Rams jumped out to a 5-0 lead and were never challenged as they dispatched fourth seeded Utah on a sunny Friday afternoon.  CSU led 12-0 at the half and coasted to a 17-4 victory in a game that featured 15 different point-scorers for the Rams on the campus of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO.

CSU scored three goals before the game was five minutes old and senior captain Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) led the charge with all five of his game-high points in the first half of the game.  CSU held a 5-0 lead after one and cashed in seven times in the second period to put the game out of reach.

Colorado State was led by Fisher’s five points along with an identical four goal, one assist performance from Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO).  Tim Taggart (Mountain Vista HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) had three assists in the contest as well.

The Rams outshot Utah 44-22 and enjoyed a 38-22 advantage on groundballs.  CSU also cashed in on four of six man-up opportunities while holding Utah to just one of four.

Colorado State (16-0 overall, 5-0 RMLC) awaits the winner of the Colorado vs. Brigham Young game taking place at 7pm on Friday night.  The RMLC championship game will be held at 6pm on Saturday at Walker Field.

Junior Zach Arthur spearheaded a defensive effort that held #2 CU to three goals on Saturday.

Fort Collins, CO – It was Hall of Fame Day as the top ranked Colorado State Rams welcomed the 2^nd ranked Colorado Buffaloes to Hughes Stadium for the 11^th annual Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown on Saturday afternoon.  The Rams did not disappoint the estimated 4,500 in attendance, outscoring the Buffs 6-2 in the middle two quarters en route to an 8-3 victory that clinched the number one seed for CSU in the upcoming RMLC playoffs.

At halftime of the game, four new members were inducted to the CSU Lacrosse Alumni Association Hall of Fame.  Pete Mottram, Patrick Coy, Nick Stanitz-Harper, Ryan Davis and honorary inductee Dr. Ron Krugman were all celebrated on a festive afternoon in the university’s football stadium.

Both teams played well on defense in the opening frame.  Ryan Haines finally opened the scoring for CU with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, but senior midfielder Tim Taggart (Mountain Vista HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) struck just thirty seconds later to tie it up heading into the second.

The Rams got three goals in the second frame while holding CU to just one to give CSU a 4-2 lead heading into halftime.  Junior goaltender Jack Regan (Sunset HS / Beaverton, OR) turned in a sparkling first half, registering seven saves to help the Rams stay out in front.

Coming out of the halftime break, CU struck first on a goal by Matt White, but the Rams rattled off a key three-goal run in just over two minutes of game time that was punctuated when sophomore midfielder Gus Brunger (Castle View HS / Castle Rock, CO) barreled down the alley and buried one to make it 7-3.

From there, the Rams defense held off an increasingly desperate Colorado squad that fired off 11 fourth quarter shots.  Junior goaltender Koltin Fatzinger (Wheat Ridge HS / Thornton, CO) played extremely well in his second half of action, coming up with seven saves of his own to help the Rams to victory.

No one scored more than twice for the Rams in a balanced and complete effort over their rivals from Boulder.  Brunger and senior attackman Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) each had a goal and an assist to lead all players with two points while the senior crew of Hayden Porter (Heritage HS / Littleton, CO), Tyler Zabor (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) and Patrick Sullivan (Heritage HS / Littleton, CO) were suffocating on the defensive end.

Junior long-stick midfielder Zach Arthur (Cherry Creek HS / Denver, CO) was outstanding as well, tying CU’s Riley Seidel with four groundballs for game-high honors.  The Buffs won 6/8 face-offs in the first half before senior Dan Warfield (Smoky Hill HS / Aurora, CO) turned things around, helping propel the Rams to a 6-0 advantage in that department over the final thirty minutes.

With CU firing shots in the fourth quarter, the Rams ended up being outshot 34-23 on the game, but a healthy 26-18 advantage on groundballs and the second half face-off dominance gave CSU numerous extra possessions as the game wore down.

Colorado State (15-0 overall, 5-0 RMLC) has concluded regular season play for the 2013 season and holds the #1 seed heading into the RMLC playoffs in two weeks.  The Rams will await the loser of next weekend’s BYU vs. Utah tilt in Provo, UT.  The loss was the first of the season for Colorado (14-1 overall, 4-1 RMLC) who will play the winner of that game in the RMLC semifinals, taking place in Grand Junction, CO on the campus of Colorado Mesa University.  Game times will be decided when the field is officially set.

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Freshman Jake Johnson scored a five goals in the RMLC victory over New Mexico.

Fort Collins, CO – Coming off a physical game the night before, the top ranked Colorado State Rams rested the majority of their starters and seniors and allowed underclassmen to run the show against visiting New Mexico on a blustery afternoon on campus.  The young guns didn’t disappoint in the team’s second to last game of the regular season, ringing up 19 goals and holding the Lobos scoreless on the afternoon.

The Rams dominated all stats categories, including out-shooting UNM 41-3 and holding a 43-17 advantage on groundballs.  CSU led 3-0 after one quarter, 8-0 at halftime, and 15-0 after three before en route to their second shutout of the season.

Freshman Jake Johnson (Bridgton Academy / Lake Forest, CA) and sophomore Chris Roach (Wheat Ridge HS / Westminster, CO) led all scorers with five points each – Johnson’s coming on five second half goals.  Roach had four goals and an assist while a host of other players pitched in as well.  Sophomore long-stick midfielder Trace Evans (St. Charles North HS / St. Charles, IL) turned in a sterling performance, scooping up a game-high seven groundballs and adding an assist as well.  In all, fourteen different Rams had at least a point on the afternoon.

In his first career regular season start, junior goaltender Nick Fiore (Mountain Vista HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) made two saves while New Mexico goaltender Eric Painter had 13 saves for the Lobos, several of which came in spectacular fashion.

Colorado State (14-0 overall, 4-0 RMLC) has just one game left on the regular season schedule, and it could be one of the most anticipated regular season match-ups in recent MCLA history.  The University of Colorado is ranked #2 in the country and holds an identical 14-0 record heading into next weekend’s Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, CO.  The game will be held at 4:00pm and tickets are available at www.csuvscu.com.

In their first season in the MCLA’s Division I, New Mexico’s season finishes up at 2-8 overall and 0-5 in the RMLC.

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Senior captain Tyler Zabor (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) tied for a team-lead with four groundballs in the team’s 12-7 victory over #21 UGA.

Fort Collins, CO – After one quarter of play against the visiting #21 Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night, the top ranked Colorado State Rams found themselves in the unfamiliar position of trailing 4-1.  But the Rams stormed back, scoring nine of the game’s next ten goals over the next 35 minutes of game time to finally put away a pesky and athletic Bulldog team 12-7 on a chilly night on campus in Fort Collins, CO.

The Bulldogs had it going on both ends of the field early in the contest as goaltender David Lumsden turned aside four very quality scoring opportunities for the Rams while his team jumped out to their first quarter lead.  While Lumsden was doing his work on the defensive end, Georgia shooters were finding some creases in the CSU defense as well.  Connor Reed scored twice in the opening frame for Georgia.

But the CSU offense finally broke through in the second quarter, getting kick-started by a man-up goal from senior attackman Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO).  After Fisher’s tally, the Rams got three more goals from three different goal scorers and held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half to head into intermission with a 5-4 lead.

The Rams wasted no time in the third quarter, pounding home three straight goals in the first three minutes of the frame to push the lead out to 8-4 before Georgia stopped the bleeding on a man-up strike.  But Fisher scored unassisted just 23 seconds later and senior Tim Taggart (Mountain Vista HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) followed that up with his first goal of the game to make it 10-5 Rams early in the fourth.

Georgia didn’t give up and scored twice to cut the lead to 10-7 with 10:17 to play, but the Rams got another goal from Fisher and then an unassisted strike by freshman midfielder Eric Uhl (The Masters School / Simsbury, CT) to give CSU their final cushion of 12-7.

Despite their shaky start, the CSU defense played well over the final three quarters of the game, holding the MCLA’s leading goal scorer Trent Dean to just two goals, both on extra-man chances.  Reed led Georgia with three goals while Fisher had a game-high four goals.  Taggart had two goals and an assist while fellow senior Dustin Grybinas (Kirkwood HS / Kirkwood, MO) continued his hot streak with two points as well.

The teams were virtually even on face-offs as CSU controlled 13 of 23 draws.  The Rams outshot Georgia by a 39-22 margin and scooped up 42 groundballs to the Bulldogs’ 20, but Lumsden’s 15 saves kept UGA within striking distance right through the end.  Colorado State had success on the ride, forcing nine failed clears by Georgia on the evening.

The game marked the first ever MCLA contest between the two teams.  Colorado State (13-0 overall, 3-0 RMLC) will finish the regular season with two conference games, taking on New Mexico on Sunday afternoon ahead of next Saturday’s Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown against the #2 Colorado Buffaloes at Hughes Stadium.  Georgia falls to 11-2 and will face-off against the Buffs at Folsom Field in Boulder on Saturday afternoon.

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Senior Dustin Grybinas had two goals in the 13-2 win over Utah.

Draper, UT – Coming off their convincing victory over #4 BYU the night before, #1 Colorado State turned around on less than 16 hours rest to do battle with the University of Utah in an RMLC conference game at Juan Diego HS in Draper, UT.  The Rams led 1-0 after the first quarter before running off a 6-1 period in the second to pull away from the Utes in a 13-2 victory.

With the Rams up 2-1 over halfway through the second period, junior attackman Sean Smith (Amherst HS / Amherst, NY) spurred a five goal run, which included four goals within a minute and a half to take control of the game.  Smith had two goals and two assists in the period as the Rams began to pull away.

The two teams played an even third quarter with each scoring a goal before the Rams rang up another five goal run to close things out.  Local high school product Brian Allen (Judge Memorial / Salt Lake City, UT) scored the final goal of the game as the Rams moved into a first place tie with Colorado in the RMLC standings.

Senior Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) led all scorers with a goal and four assists while Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO) and Smith had four points each for CSU.  Senior Dustin Grybinas (Kirkwood HS / St. Louis, MO) had two goals and seven other players had at least a point as well.

Senior long pole Tyler Zabor (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) got in on the scoring, capping a three point weekend for the defenseman, who also had two assists against BYU.  Junior long stick midfielder Tim Miaskiewicz (Mullen HS / Denver, CO) had a tally as well.

The Rams dominated all statistical categories, outshooting the Utes 40-16 and scooping up 43 groundballs to Utah’s 24.  CSU was 16/19 on face-offs as the time of possession began to wear Utah down toward the end of the game.  Rams goalies made six saves while Utah had nine.

Colorado State (12-0 overall, 3-0 RMLC) heads back to campus next weekend for one last out of conference game against the University of Georgia on Friday night and then the University of New Mexico on Saturday.  Utah (5-6 overall, 1-2 RMLC) takes on MCLA Division II Concordia on Sunday.

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Kacy Carter’s career day (7g, 2a) helped propel the Rams over BYU in a key RMLC conference win.

Provo, UT – In a rematch of last year’s MCLA semifinals, the #1 Colorado State Rams jumped out to a 6-1 lead after one quarter of play and kept the pressure on for the rest of the game en route to an impressive 16-5 victory over #4 Brigham Young on a gorgeous Friday evening in Provo, UT.

The Rams scored early and often, highlighted by a career day from Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO), who led all scorers will seven goals and two assists.  Carter and fellow attackman Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) combined for 11 goals while senior midfielder Tim Taggart (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, CO) also had a career-high four goals as CSU led from start to finish.

After CSU scored the first three goals of the game, BYU’s Mike Fabrizio broke the drought for the Cougars with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter.  But CSU’s Dan Warfield (Smoky Hill HS / Aurora, CO) won the ensuing face-off and fed Carter for a quick answer to quell the momentum.  The Rams ran off two more goals to close the first quarter out 6-1.

Fisher got a quick one in the second before BYU closed out the second quarter scoring with two goals to make the halftime lead 7-3, including a tally with less than three seconds by Jake Ferrin.  But the Rams removed all drama as Taggart and Carter scored two goals early in the third to make it 9-3 and the Rams coasted from there.

Both teams found themselves in the penalty box for much of the fourth quarter with six penalties called.   CSU capitalized on all four of their extra-man chances while BYU was one of two.  Colorado State dominated at the face-off ‘x’ as Warfield and sophomore Brian Roach (Wheat Ridge HS / Westminster, CO) combined to go 17 of 23.

Both teams cleared the ball well, but the Rams enjoyed a healthy advantage in groundballs (44-25) and shots (32-26).  CSU goaltenders combined for 10 saves while BYU’s Rob Ostler struggled, making just five saves on the afternoon.  Sean Ross (Lewis Palmer HS / Monument, CO) was the only other goal scorer for CSU, while Mickell Walker led the Cougars with a goal and an assist.

The win was Colorado State’s first regular season victory in Provo since the 2005 season and pushes the Rams to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the RMLC.  They will tangle with Utah on Saturday afternoon at Juan Diego HS in Draper, UT before heading back to Fort Collins.  BYU falls to 11-3 and 2-2 in the RMLC and will take on MCLA Div. II Westminster next weekend.

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