The Colorado State University Rams men’s lacrosse team kicked off their 2009 season with an exciting 10-9 scrimmage victory over the Division III Colorado College Tigers on Saturday afternoon at CC’s Washburn Field. CSU was paced by sophomore attackman Paul Larson (Columbine HS, CO), who had 3 goals and 1 assist to lead the visiting Rams to victory on an extremely pleasant afternoon in Colorado Springs, CO.
Neither team held a lead larger than two all game long in an entertaining tilt between two fairly evenly matched teams. Colorado College freshman Moses Taylor was outstanding, leading all scorers with 2 goals and 3 assists. The Tigers led from midway through the second quarter until late in the fourth when CSU scored two goals in less than a minute to take the lead, including Luke Miller’s (Regis Jesuit HS, CO) game winning dodge down the alley with 5:32 to play. While the Rams dominated the first quarter of play, getting goals from Larson and senior attackman Will Cantwell (Lakewood HS, CO), CC held their own in the second period, scoring 7 goals to CSU’s 4. At the half, the Tigers led 7-6, only to be outscored 4-2 by Colorado State over the final 30 minutes. The Rams got 2 goals apiece from sophomore Cooper Kehoe (Stevenson HS, CA) and junior Kevin Wolff (Don Bosco Prep, NJ) while CC’s only other multiple goal getter was Charley Perkins, who showcased a devastatingly hard shot on man-up. Both teams showcased a balanced offensive attack overall. CSU goaltender Alex Jacques (Bainbridge Island HS, WA) went the distance in cage for the Rams, recording 14 saves on the afternoon while CC’s three goaltenders combined for 10 saves. CC’s man-up unit was instrumental in holding their lead, scoring on 4 of 7 chances, including 3 of 4 in the second period. However, CSU’s man-down group staved off 2 key fourth quarter chances to help finish the Tigers off. The game was tightly officiated with a combined 12 penalties for 9:00 minutes of box time between the two teams. The Tigers competed in two games on the afternoon, easily dispatching of the Colorado Buffaloes 14-4 in the opening scrimmage of the day before taking on CSU. The Rams will have one more scrimmage next weekend against a men’s club team before taking their show on the road to San Luis Obispo, CA to take on the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos and Cal Poly Mustangs. The games on February 21 and 22 will mark the official start to the season and CSU’s first trip to SLO since the inception of the MCLA.