SFU loses first two games of Colorado road trip
By Frank Davalos
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee
Last weekend the #23 Simon Fraser Clansmen headed south to Colorado to play three games against the #1 Colorado State Rams (CSU), the #4 University of Colorado (CU) Buffaloes, and the #10 Virginia Tech ( VT ) Hokies.
The six-day road trip proved to be the most difficult trip of the regular season, matching up against three, top-10 ranked opponents. The first of these matchups took place on a frosty Saturday in Loveland, Colorado vs. the defending National Champions, the CSU Rams. After an outstanding first quarter by both teams, a series of undisciplined plays and several SFU breakdowns led to a 16–7 victory for the Rams.
The Clansmen came out strong with a lengthy possession at the beginning of the first quarter, but it was the Rams that opened up the scoring in the first quarter. However, this didn’t seem to faze the Fraser Lacrosse team, as freshmen midfielder Chris Pond answered back with a quick stick goal off of a pass from sophomore attackman Ward Spencer.
Shortly after, senior attackman Eric Ransom added another for SFU, giving the Clansmen a 2–1 lead early on in the game. This proved to be SFU’s only lead of the game, as the Clansmen began to break down, both offensively and defensively.
Heading into the second quarter tied at two, the Rams went on to score nine unanswered goals throughout the next two quarters — a couple of two-minute, non-releasable penalties were responsible for the adversity.
Looking to get back on track, SFU senior attackman Colton Dow picked a corner to bring the score to 10–3 for the Rams. Despite two added goals by Spencer, and one more from freshman midfielder Alexander Bohl, Simon Fraser fell to the top ranked CSU 16–7.
Head coach Brent Hoskins reflected on the Clansmen’s effort, “Colorado State are the defending champs and ranked number one in the MCLA for a reason.”
He went on to explain the breakdowns. “Our focus slipped a little bit in the second quarter and this ultimately dug us a hole that is very tough to get out of when you are playing an opponent like Colorado State. We need to do a much better job of keeping our emotions in check, while still maintaining a high level intensity.”
Coming off of a tough loss to begin the weekend, the Fraser lacrosse team had no time to dwell on the past. The very next day, the Clansmen were set to face the CU Buffaloes. Unlike the previous day, the weather called for warm temperatures and sunny skies, and the backdrop of the Colorado Rockies at Kittredge Field in Boulder was nothing short of breathtaking. Despite another strong first quarter by Fraser, the Buffaloes prevailed with an 18–11 victory.
Dow opened up the scoring and put Simon Fraser up by one early on in the first quarter. However, the Buffaloes answered back quickly to tie the game, 1–1. After a clean faceoff win by SFU sophomore James Irwin, and an exchange of possessions by
both teams, Fraser capitalized on a man-up situation with a top cheddar rip from All-American sophomore midfielder Sam Clare. The University of Colorado scored three straight to finish off the first quarter, giving the Buffaloes a 4–2 lead.
The Buffaloes continued to build off their momentum by scoring an additional five unanswered goals, making the score 9–2. Simon Fraser regained momentum by capitalizing on a few more man-up opportunities. Clare completed the hat trick, receiving passes from Ransom and freshman midfielder Andrew Branting. However, the Buffaloes answered back with two straight goals to make the score 11–4 heading into halftime.
Off of a nice pass from freshmen midfielder Jordan Lashar, Branting scored with a snipe top corner to start the second half ’s score at 11–5. CU countered with two quick goals, giving the Buffaloes their largest lead of the game.
The Clansmen weren’t finished yet, adding three unanswered goals by Dow, Ransom, and sophomore midfielder Casey Foster. The teams then exchanged goals, with Clare adding his fourth. The Buffaloes added one extra goal before heading into the final quarter up 15–9. SFU went on to lose the game 18–11.
Long stick midfielder Riley Wanzer spoke with The Peak about the loss after the game. “We came out of the gates real strong but we were unable to maintain our high level of play over four quarters,” said Wanzer. “Colorado’s goalie continued to make great saves that deflated the confidence of our offense, and ultimately allowed the Buffaloes offense to capitalize on our defensive breakdowns.”
