SFU completes wild road trip with a win against Virginia Tech
By Frank Davalos
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee
Following losses to the defending national champions, Colorado State, and #4-ranked University of Colorado, Simon Fraser looked to capitalize on its next opportunity and get a little redemption.
After being dropped from the Nike/Inside Lacrosse’s Top Virginia Tech Hokies 11–9 on a frosty Tuesday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado.
Senior attackmen Colton Dow and Eric Ransom and freshman midfielder Alex Bohl led the Clansmen with four points each. The upset put Simon Fraser back in the polls at #25. This was the third time that Simon Fraser upset a team that has appeared in the Top 25 rankings this year, with previous wins against #20 Oregon State, and formerly #25 Chico State.
Bohl got the ball rolling for the Clansmen, scoring a nice outside shot to put the Clan up 1–0. Dow then sniped a nice a 3–0 lead early on in the first quarter.
Looking to regain some composure, the Hokies took a timeout, which proved to be a smart move as the team went on to score two goals, closing out the first quarter trailing 3–2.
The Hokies came out strong, scoring just eight seconds into the second quarter. They took their only lead of the game after an end-to-end goal by defender Sean Meacham making it 4–3 for the Hokies. Following a forced timeout, and a major offensive adjustment, the Clansmen went on an 8–0 run that led them to victory.
25 poll, the lone Canadian team managed to climb back into the rankings after upsetting the #14 shot from the side of the net, and went on to assist another goal to Ransom, giving the Clan Simon Fraser sophomore midfielder Casey Foster began the assault with an outside rip from 20 yards out. Bohl, along with junior midfielder Brendan Farrell, put the clan ahead by two. Swarmed by three Hokies defenders, Ransom battled through to score an impossible goal from inside, making the score 7–4 for the Clan.
Continuing the attack, freshman midfielder Matt Bailey registered his first goal of his collegiate career, and increase the lead by four. Freshman midfielder Andrew Branting and sophomore midfielder Travis Hayes would also notch one each, making it
10–4 for Simon Fraser.
Bohl closed out SFU’s first half of scoring with a nice behind the back goal, which completed his hat-trick, and forced a Hokies goalie change. The Hokies tallied one more, making it 11–5 going into the second half.
The goal change proved to be advantageous for the Hokies, as they held SFU to zero goals in the second half. Despite some undisciplined penalty trouble, Simon Fraser’s defense held off the Hokies offensive, allowing just three goals in the half to secure the upset.
The Clansmen are now entering a much-needed bye week as they continue to chip away at one of the toughest regular season schedules in the MCLA.
Over the next week the team will be preparing for three of its biggest games of the season as the Clan head to the Midwest to face GRLC power Illinois on March 28, followed by two more ranked opponents in #10 Michigan State (March 30),
