The scoring for the Bears started early when a failed clearing attempt left a wide open goal less than a minute into the game. John Principi scored again for Cal less than a minute later and CSU was left in a quick 2-0 hole. Cal was up 3-0 before Ryan Ferrin was finally able to punch one home for the Rams with 3:12 left in the quarter.
Cal overplayed the Rams throughout the first half, but was still only able to hold a slim 6-4 margin. CSU knew that they would have to score quickly in the second half in order to cut into the Bears lead, but Cal once again controlled the tempo with an excellent settled clear and ride that seemed to rattle the Rams and forced them into many mistakes. The high-powered Ram attack was shut down by the excellent play of the Cal longsticks despite Ferrin’s four goals.
A flustered CSU team couldn’t find the answer in the fourth quarter and watched as Cal opened up a large lead that turned one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the year into a mini-blowout. Colorado State looks to rebound against #13 Stanford in a game that will go a long way in telling how the defending national champs will fare for the rest of the year.