May. 11th, 2004 - Brigham Young Finds Florida State's Flaws as the Cougars roll to a 23 – 14 victory
Fenton, MO – In Tuesday's first round action of the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (USLIA) National Championships from Anheuser-Bush Center, the sixth seeded Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars defeated the eleventh seeded Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles 23-14.
Both teams began the contest trading offensive threats. However, BYU's execution on both sides of the ball that proved too much for the lower ranked Seminoles.
On the partly cloudy afternoon with a local temperature in the mid-90's at face-off, BYU's Jordan Peel (Great Falls, VA) put one in the back of the net with the assist from Mark Davis (Potomac, MD). Peel led the team with seven goals. The talented duo tallied ten points in the first half and 15 points in the game.
Florida State managed to match BYU's offensive output until fatigue and team dissension caused many headaches off the field. Around the 11-minute mark the teams began to feel the flow of the game and run their offensives sets that earned them at-large bids to the national tournament.
The score at the conclusion of the first quarter was BYU 6, FSU 3.
The second quarter brought more physical play, which favored the Cougars. BYU amassed four more goals that FSU during the 15-minute stretch.
A carry over BYU penalty allowed FSU allowed them to strike on the man-up. 1st team all-conference pick D.J. Romanchuk (Bridgton) scored on a assist Michael Borkowski (Coral Springs, FL) at the 14:51 mark into the quarter. Romanchuk would finish with 6 points (3g, 3a).
BYU continued to cause problems for the FSU defense and goalie Jeff Goren (Orlando, FL). Justin Hier (Poway, CA) and Davis scored unassisted goals to increase the BYU lead. FSU had some opportunities, but BYU enjoyed a 13 – 6 lead on the halftime scoreboard.
BYU was outshooting Florida State by a healthy margin (31 to 13) at the break.
"I reminded them to draw the line when playing defense and keep it there," BYU Head Coach Jason Lamb warned his squad at the break. "We may be ahead, however, don't let defensive slides away from the ball confuse us. "
The Cougars must have been listening to his advice. They used more power in the 3rd quarter to open the game wide open. Peel again added one with help again from Davis only thirty-two seconds into the second half.
Cougars 19, Noles 9 at the end of three quarters of play.
The fourth quarter was sloppy for both teams at both ends of the field. FSU managed to outscore BYU this quarter 5-4, led by Kevin Paustian (Ossining, NY). Paustian had two goals in the final stanza.
The match ended with BYU rolling to a 23 – 14 victory.
BYU will advance to the quarterfinal round of the national championships to play Colorado, a team they have already lost to twice this season. The Buffs knocked off Minnesota-Duluth. The Cougars hope the third time is the charm, when it counts the most.