May. 15th, 2004 - Florida State defeats Simon Fraser by 8 to finish consolation bracket
Florida State defeats Simon Fraser by 8 to finish consolation bracket
Article By David Leach
Fenton, MO - On the last day of the consolation round the Florida State Seminoles (2-1) and the Simon Fraser University Clan (0-3) met for the first time in history to conclde the MDIA Tournament's consolation bracket. The Simon Fraser team, veterans to the national tournament, lost again (17 – 9) marking the first time in tournament history they were held winless at the MDIA championships.
It takes a special kind of team to make it to the national tournament here in St. Louis and these two teams are no exception.
Simon Fraser with their speedy players, sharp passes, & highlight-worthy plays, hail from Burnaby, British Columbia where box (indoor) lacrosse not only thrives but is considered a way of life. The Clan represents quite a unique style of play not often observed by other MDIA teams in the United States. This is the 7th time in the last 8 years that Simon Fraser has qualified for the national tournament.
Florida State, an aggressive, hard-hitting, team from Tallahassee may be better known for their beaches and sunshine than their lacrosse. But a wind of change is brewing and for the first time in club history, the Seminoles earned a place in the national tournament.
After losing to Brigham Young in Tuesday's opener and defeating Minnesota-Duluth on Wednesday, Florida State came out firing against Simon Fraser. The Noles scoring 2 quick goals in the first 2 minutes of the game.
Simon Fraser, with their excellent transition game leading the way, responded quickly as Mike Christians (Victoria, B.C.) scored 2 goals in a minute and half time-frame.
Florida State midfielder Kevin Paustian (Ossining, N.Y.) would later comment "They have a transition game that we have tried to emulate. The way they control to flow of the game when bringing it up field is simply impressive."
At the start of the 2nd quarter, after Simon Fraser had managed to take a 4-3 lead with Mike Christians scoring 3 of the team's goals. But Florida State took over the ball game from this point. The Noles went on a 13 – 1 scoring rampage that last until late in the 4th quarter to put the game on ice.
Seminole Junior Michael Borkowski (Coral Springs, FL) took control of the offense, as did teammate Kevin Paustian. The talented duo combined for a total of 12 points (9G, 3A), putting the game all but out of reach for the Clan.
Simon Fraser finally woke up with 4:36 remaining in the 4th quarter as Daniel Weber (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored a nicely placed shot to the top corner. Kelly Gares (Coquitlam, B.C.) followed up with 2 goals of his own for Simon Fraser and Mike Christians scored with 42 seconds left in the game for a final score of 17-9. A nice late flurry of goals, but way too late.
Despite the opening round loss to BYU, Seminole Michael Borkowski commented with a tone of assurance. "This year we've been great, we made it to the tournament and took 2 wins out of it. As for next year, we're going 4-0. You can take that to the bank."
Only time will tell for the Noles.