May. 11th, 2004 - Colorado State Steamrolls Simon Fraser, 23 - 6
Fenton, MO - In another Tuesday opening round game at the Anheuser-Bush Center, second seeded Colorado State rolled 15th seeded Simon Fraser University 23-6. Junior Attackman Nick Stanitz-Harper paced the CSU scoring effort with 4 goals.
The victory marked the second time this season that the Rams have beaten the Clan by a large margin this season. Colorado State hammered Simon Fraser back on March 20th in a neutral site contest from Seattle, Washington by almost the same score (24-6).
Simon Fraser scored quickly to start the game thanks to Steve Kojima (Victoria, B.C.). Kojima used a powerful bull dodge to goal mouth and conclude his drive with a shot to the top left side which found the back of the nets.
Colorado State quickly put a lid on the Clan after that. The Rams didn't allow Simon Fraser to cross the offensive side much for the remainder of the quarter.
The Rams high tempo offense ripped off nine consecutive goals, 7 of which ended the 1st quarter scoring.
Colorado State controlled numerous possessions and continued to exhibit the brand of lacrosse that has seen the Rams play in 5 straight national championship games.
Simon Fraser was able to add 3 more goals in the 2nd quarter. But Colorado State was too strong putting in 9 more goals during the quarter. Kojima completed his hat trick by halftime. The Senior would finish with five points (4g, 1a).
15 to 4 at the halftime break in favor of Colorado State. The Rams dominated groundballs at the half, 33 to 9.
Colorado State Head Coach Flip Namburg wasn't deterred by the large margin. "I reminded them not to let up. We play hard every time we step on the field and we managed to rotate players to ensure we all had a good time in this afternoon's victory."
SFU's Head Coach Marc Downey told his players to finish strong. "Never mind the large margin at the half, play with pride and wear your hearts on your sleeves."
Two other CSU players tied Nick Stanitz-Harper with 4 points, Senior attackman Kelten Johnson (Bainbridge, WA) and junior midfielder Tim Farquhar (Collegiate, VA).
Colorado State began substitute liberally in the later part of the 2nd half. With the large goal differential, the Rams changed goalies at the 9:50 mark of the 3rd quarter. Starter Kurt Bisnette (Hinsdale, IL) yielded to former Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association standout Pete Jokisch (Rockhurst Jesuit, MO).
The Rams will battle Michigan on Wednesday afternoon in quarterfinal play. The game is a rematch of a April 2nd contest in Ann Arbor which saw Colorado State victorious by an 11 – 4 margin.