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February 21, 2015

#4 Rams Open Season with 16-5 Win

Canyon, TEXAS – The Colorado State University Rams opened their 2015 season with a dominating 16-5 victory over the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday afternoon.  The Rams jumped out to a 6-1 first quarter lead that ballooned to 10-2 at halftime on the campus of West Texas A&M University.

Colorado State got goals from 13 different players and 14 saves from their goalies as they led wire to wire to move to 1-0 on the season.

CSU’s decisive first-quarter run started early as junior Colin Macdonald (Regis Jesuit HS; Centennial, CO) scored just 1:25 into the game.  From there, it was all Rams as nine different players pumped in goals in the first half.  The Rams were efficient on the offensive end, breaking down the UConn defense and getting decent looks at the cage.  The Huskies managed only two saves on the afternoon under the relentless pressure of the CSU offense, which took 21 shots in the first half to put the game out of reach.

UConn got some momentum early in the second half after four consecutive penalties put the Rams man-down for a good portion of the third quarter.  But CSU’s defense was up to the task, holding the Huskies off the board while the offense settled back in.  The Rams finished the third quarter up 14-2, including a goal with just five seconds left by sophomore Brian Taggart (Mountain Vista HS; Highlands Ranch, CO).

In the fourth, both teams emptied their benches a bit as the game’s outcome was no longer in doubt.  UConn outscored the Rams 3-2 in the final frame to bring the final to 16-5.

It was a team effort for the Rams, who were led by sophomore Ashton Monheiser’s (Mountain Vista HS; Highlands Ranch, CO) two goals and two assists.  Monheiser led all scorers with four points on the afternoon.  Taggart and Macdonald were the only other Rams to notch multiple goals on the day with two apiece.  Sophomore goaltender David Salamie (Lakeridge HS; Lake Oswego, OR) played well in his first career start, making 10 saves in three quarters of work before giving way to freshman Jake Bender (Evergreen HS; Evergreen, CO) who added four saves of his own.

The Huskies were led by midfielder Arthur Sullivan’s two goals and one assist and attackman Jason Campbell’s one goal and one assist.  Huskie defender Pierce Bushby led all players with seven groundballs on the afternoon.

Colorado State (1-0 overall) will conclude their opening road-trip of the year with a 1 p.m. CST face-off against #21 Texas State on Sunday afternoon.  The Bobcats fell to #1 Colorado 16-6 in the opening game of the West Texas Lacrosse Showcase.  UConn will take on the Buffaloes in the early game as they try to move to .500 on the season.  Both games will be webcast at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/west-texas-lacrosse-showcase. 

 

 

February 22, 2015

Rams Sweep Weekend with 8-2 Victory over Texas State

Canyon, TEXAS – Snow and wind were the story of the day as the #4 Colorado State Rams battled the elements in addition to the #21 Texas State Bobcats on Sunday afternoon at West Texas A&M University.  The CSU defense was outstanding, holding Texas State to just 12 shots in an 8-2 victory as weather deteriorated quickly throughout the afternoon.

The weather on Saturday was gorgeous, with temps in the low 60s, but Sunday was a different story completely as blowing snow and cold temperatures made for an increasingly sloppy game for both teams.  The Rams used a 5-1 second half run to pull away from an undisciplined Bobcats squad that committed 10 penalties.  Unfortunately for CSU, the Rams’ man-up struggled to capitalize and kept the outmanned Texas State team in the game.

CSU struck first, getting a goal from sophomore Ashton Monheiser (Mountain Vista HS; Highlands Ranch, CO) with 1:35 gone in the first quarter.  From there, both teams struggled to get much going offensively and despite CSU outshooting Texas State 13-0 in the first quarter, the Rams were unable to add to their lead.  Bobcat goaltender A.J. Anderson made several nice saves in the first frame to keep his team in the game.

Texas State got the equalizer early in the second quarter, but the Rams answered back less than a minute later and got one late in the half for a 3-1 lead.  From there, they slowly pulled away for the win, using a three-goal run in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead.  When Texas State finally did score in the fourth quarter, the Rams were there to answer again less than a minute later to squash any momentum the Bobcats might have had on their side.

CSU’s star of the day was sophomore Brian Taggart (Mountain Vista HS; Highlands Ranch, CO), who had a hat trick and two assists to finish with a game-high five points.  Monheiser had three goals as well to help pace the Rams.  Texas State was without the services of star attackman Liam Kelly and without him could not find the skill to answer CSU’s defensive pressure and presence.

The Rams dominated most statistical categories, including winning nine of 12 face-offs, picking up 33 groundballs to the Bobcats’ 17 and forcing 23 turnovers by the Texas State offense.  Sophomore David Salamie (Lakeridge HS; Lake Oswego, OR) went the distance for CSU, making four saves while Anderson finished with 10 for Texas State.

CSU (2-0) will watch the weather closely as they prepare for their first home games of the season next weekend when #8 Boston College and RMLC foe Utah Valley come to town on Saturday and Sunday respectively.  The Rams haven’t played Boston College since the 2011 season, when CSU defeated the Eagles 14-10 in the MCLA quarterfinals.  Snow is in the forecast for the week and weekend, so game times and locations are subject to change.