MCLA Lacrosse News

SALT LAKE CITY – The third-ranked Westminster College men’s lacrosse team returns to Colorado this weekend for two games. Westminster will play at Northern Colorado on Friday at 6 p.m. before a 2 p.m. game against No. 5 North Dakota State on Saturday. Both games will be played at Butler Hancock Field.

Westminster heads to the road at 4-3 on the season and coming off a 22-0 win over Western State (Colo.) on Feb. 27. That win followed an 11-10 defeat of NCAA DII Adams State on Feb. 26. The Griffins are 2-2 in road games this year and 2-1 in games played on a neutral field.

The Griffins are scoring 12.29 goals per game through the first seven games. They have scored in double figures in five of the contests and have scored at least 15 goals on three occasions. Westminster has recorded 51 assists on the 86 goals they have scored while averaging 31.3 shots per outing.

Jake Arthur and Cole Christensen have scored six goals apiece to lead all Griffins. Adam Marfice and Collin Madsen have added 10 goals apiece to start the season. Kyle Postler has recorded 20 of the team’s assists and his six goals give him a team-best 26 points. Christensen and Madsen are tied for second on the team with five assists apiece.

The opposition is averaging 7.14 goals per game while scoring at least 10 goals in three games. Westminster has held three opponents to one goal or less with one shutout. They limit their opponents to 23.9 shots per game with 24 assists. Westminster holds a 174-161 edge in ground balls while winning 55.2 percent of faceoffs.

Erik Gronseth leads the Griffins with 30 saves and has posted a 63.8 save percentage. He has recorded three wins while allowing 17 goals in his six games played. Chris Burckle has made 26 saves with a 46.4 save percentage and ben Tourek has posted 11 saves with a 78.6 save percentage in five games played. Matt Lambourne is tops on the squad with 18 ground balls while Madsen leads the team with a 72.7 win percentage in faceoffs.

ABOUT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC or WestminsterPR on Twitter.

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Loveland, CO – The #1 Colorado State University Rams used a balanced effort on offense, a smothering ride, and outstanding defense to dispatch of visiting Loyola Marymount on Thursday evening at the Loveland Sports Park. CSU led 3-1 after one quarter, 7-1 at halftime and 11-3 after three periods as they outpaced the Lions 13-3 in a game that saw eight different goal scorers for the home squad.

The Rams struck early in the first as Fort Collins native Alex Creech (Rocky Mountain HS / Fort Collins, CO) got on the board with 11:06 remaining to break the ice. Junior attackman Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO) then continued his hot streak with two quick goals to push the lead to 3-0 before LMU answered back to make it 3-1 after one quarter.

The Rams turned to their attack unit in the second frame as they pounded home four goals to put the game out of reach heading into the second half. Carter and fellow attackman Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) combined for three goals in the quarter while sophomore Mike Wolff (Don Bosco Prep / Ramsey, NJ) got into the act with his own marker as well.
CSU continued to play well on both sides of the ball in the second half, outscoring LMU 6-2 over the final thirty minutes. But Colorado State’s ride, which forced 10 turnovers by the Lions on the day, ended up being the deciding factor as CSU methodically pulled away.

Fisher led all scorers with four goals to lead all scorers while Carter’s three was good for second best. Six other Rams notched a single tally. Wolff added two assists to go with his goal as well. Sophomore face-off specialist Brian Roach (Wheat Ridge HS / Westminster, CO) was outstanding on the afternoon, winning 11 of 15 face-offs in his first extensive action of the season. Phil Hughes had two goals and an assist to lead the Lions.

Hayden Porter (Heritage HS / Littleton, CO) led the Rams with four groundballs and four caused turnovers on the defensive end while also adding an assist in transition. CSU goaltenders combined for eight saves while LMU recorded 13. Neither team was able to cash in on their lone man-up opportunity.

Colorado State (5-0 overall, 1-0 RMLC) has two scheduled home games over the weekend with #23 Simon Fraser and #10 Virginia Tech on Saturday and Sunday respectively. With the impending snow storm threatening the Rocky Mountain region all day Saturday, game times and locations could change. LMU drops to 1-5 and will head home to face Utah State on March 11.