Mar. 29th, 2004 - No. 1 Colorado State Opens League Play With 19-4 Victory Over Visiting Utah
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2004
Colorado State Men's Lacrosse
Fort Collins, CO - In 2003, the Utah Utes were the only USL-MDIA team to defeat the Colorado State Rams on their way to the National Championship. The unranked Utes won 5-4 on a dreary day in Orem, UT to pull the upset shocker of the year. This year's version of the Rams was not about to have a let down in their first league game of the season and romped to a 19-4 victory at their home field on campus Saturday afternoon. Fifteen players notched points in a balanced and complete effort from start to finish.
Matt Disney (Heritage HS, CO) was on fire from the get-go on Saturday, registering two goals and three assists to give him game high point honors with five. After Pat Bird (Bishop O'Dowd HS, CA) got things going with the first goal of the game, Disney scored an unassisted goal and followed that up with an assist on a goal by Derek Koll (Fort Collins HS, CO). The rest of the CSU starting attack was in top form as well. Nick Stanitz-Harper (Eaglecrest HS, CO) and Kelten Johnson (Bainbridge HS, WA) each scored four points to give the starting attack a point total of 13 on the day.
With the Rams up 4-1 at the end of the first, CSU's offense was ready to explode. Led by Tim Farquhar's (Collegiate HS, VA) three points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Rams went on a 7-0 run that was punctuated by Bird's second goal of the game with under a minute left in the half. Farquhar also had four points with two goals and two assists. The Rams ended the half up 11-1 and the game was no longer in doubt.
Pete Jokisch (Rochurst Jesuit, KS) continued his bid for national consideration with a nine save, one goal against performance. With this game, Jokisch is currently saving 74.8% of the shots he has faced on the season.
A bright spot for the visiting Utes was the face-off game. After Dave Clark (Cherry Creek HS, CO) won the first five of the game, the Utes made adjustments to win a substantial amount of their own. Utah finished ahead in the face-off department by winning 16/26 draws.
Everyone on the Colorado State roster got in the game and got significant playing time, especially in the second half. Freshman Brian Stone (Air Academy HS, CO) played a very good game, adding two groundballs to his first goal of the season.
Next up for Colorado State (13-0 overall; 1-0 RMLC) will be the Michigan Invitational in Ann Arbor, MI. The three game road trip will be a tough test for the Rams, who will play three ranked teams in three days. CSU will play #5 Michigan, #12 Minnesota-Duluth, and #2 UC-Santa Barbara in that order. Utah (5-3; 0-1) will play #7 Colorado on Monday.
Game Notes:
- Utah's dominance at the face-off 'x' was an aberration on the season. The Rams have won the face-off battle in each of their other games.
- Mark Plonkey had six groundballs in the game, making his total 105 for the season.
- After CSU's trip to Michigan, they will be at home for the remainder of the regular season. Post season trips to Salt Lake City, UT and St. Louis, MO await the Rams if they continue to play well.
- Stanitz-Harper and Johnson continue to lead the team in points, with 52 and 49 respectively. Farquhar now stands at 41 after his four point game.
- With their 7-0 second quarter, the Rams now have outscored teams 67-13 in the second stanza this year.
Goals by Quarters:
CSU: 4 - 7 - 5 - 3 = 19
Utah: 1 - 0 - 1 - 2 = 4
Goals:
CSU: Stanitz-Harper (3), Disney, Johnson, Farquhar and Bird (2), Robinson, Reiss, Stevens, Murphy, Koll, Chorey, Everett, Stone (1).
Utah: Turkula (2), Fernandez, Ellison (1).
Assists:
CSU: Disney (3), Johnson and Farquhar (2), Stanitz-Harper, Eichhorn, Robinson, Johns, Reiss, Stevens (1).
Utah: Love, Ellison (1).
Goaltenders:
CSU: Jokisch (37:30 minutes, 9 saves, 1 goals against), Bisnette (15:00 minutes, 3 saves, 1 goals against), Fitzgerald (7:30 minutes, 4 saves, 2 goals against)
Utah: Johnson (60:00 minutes, 8 saves, 19 goals against)
Face-Offs Won:
CSU: 10/26
Utah: 16/26
Shots:
CSU: 44
Utah: 28
Ground Balls:
CSU: 45
Utah: 39
Extra Man:
CSU: 2/6
Utah: 0/4
Penalties:
CSU: 5 for 3:00
Utah: 6 for 3:00
Attendance: 150