Last year in the national quarterfinal game, the CSU Rams came back from a deficit of 8-4 to beat Michigan en route to their second consecutive national championship game. This year, the Rams jumped out to an identical 8-4 halftime score and survived the Michigan rally for the victory. The game started slowly with both defenses playing well.
The Rams defensive group of Mark Plonkey, Jeremy Smith, Pat Coy, and Ryan Robichaud kept the potent attack trio of Kevin Chan, Jeff Hadwin, and Tom Burns under wraps for most of the game. Leading 7-4 with under ten seconds in the half, Robichaud led a fast break that ended in a goal by Mike Napolilli () with one second left to give CSU some much needed momentum heading into the break.
From there, neither team could get much going on offense for the rest of the game as both teams scored just three goals each in the second half.
Leading the way for the Rams was Cale Vanvelkinburgh () in goal. He made many key stops at the right times to seal the victory. Also playing well were Mike Roth (), Doug Priebe (), and Jared Katz, whose midfield clearing set up many of the Rams’ scoring opportunities.
Next up for CSU, a game with presently ranked #1 Sonoma State on Sunday. Sonoma is coming off a big victory over Texas on Saturday.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| CSU | – | – | – | – | 11 |
| MCH | – | – | – | – | 8 |