Mar. 20th, 2004 - Sluggish Rams Defeat Huskies by Seven, 12-5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2004
Colorado State Men's Lacrosse

Seattle, WA - The Colorado State Rams and the Washington Huskies began play at the Husky Invitational on Friday night. The tournament is being held in Washington's impressive indoor fieldhouse in Seattle, WA safe from any impending rain. The Huskies came to play from the get go and held a 1-0 lead for the first couple of minutes. The Rams finally got things going a little bit, but did not blow the game open until the third quarter. CSU led 5-4 in the third until finally going on a 7-1 run to finish the Huskies off 12-5. Nick Stanitz-Harper (Eaglecrest HS, CO) had four goals in the winning effort.

Washington's Eric Weitz opened the scoring three minutes in and the Rams found themselves in an unfamiliar position of trailing. Colorado State continued to waste possessions while the Huskies gained confidence. UW goalie Tim Jackson was on fire from the get go. Jackson came away with 18 saves for the Huskies.

Colorado State started all of their regulars expect for goalie Pete Jokisch (Rockhurst Jesuit, KS), who gave way to freshman Garrett Fitzgerald (Regis Jesuit, CO). Fitzgerald struggled in the first start of his career before giving way to Kurt Bisnette at the end of the first half. Bisnette stopped nine shots in the second half.

While the majority of the CSU offense floundered, Derek Koll (Fort Collins HS, CO) poured in three goals and one assist to tie Stanitz-Harper's four points for game high. The Rams tried numerous combinations at attack and midfield to try to find some fresh legs, but the Huskies continued to make things difficult. CSU outshot UW 58-21, but Jackson's stellar effort combined with poor finishing by the Rams kept the Huskies in the game.

Colorado State was not able to continue their trend of getting players in the game against a Husky team that did not go away. CSU played their starters until the end. Matt Reiss (Sycamore HS, OH) had two goals at the end of the third quarter to help out the CSU attack.

Next up for the Rams is the final game of their road trip. #12 Simon Fraser will present a difficult challenge for Colorado State in their sixth game in nine days. The Rams move to 11-0 on the season and will look to finish their road trip in style against SFU.

Game Notes:
- The Rams now lead the all-time series with Washington 2-0, also winning in the 2002 National Championship First Round.
- Kelten Johnson registered his 25th assist of the year against UW. Johnson had 24 in the entire regular season last year.
- Washington's tournament will also feature Gonzaga and Chico State.

Goals by Quarters:
CSU: 3 - 2 - 5 - 2 = 12
UW: 1 - 2 - 2 - 0 = 5

Goals:
CSU Stanitz-Harper (4), Koll (3), Reiss (2), Murphy, Robinson, Stevens (1).
UW Weitz (2), Maloney, Fair, Fryztacki (1).

Assists:
CSU Koll, Farquhar, Plonkey, Robinson, Johnson (1).
UW Schwager, Steinbecker, Quetin, Sonkin (1).

Goaltenders:
CSU Fitzgerald (30:00 minutes, 1 saves, 3 goals against), Bisnette (30:00 minutes, 9 saves, 2 goals against)
UW Jackson (60:00 minutes, 18 saves, 12 goals against)

Face-Offs Won:
CSU 11/20
UW 9/20

Shots:
CSU 58
UW 21

Ground Balls:
CSU 47
UW 28

Extra Man:
CSU 1/7
UW 0/5

Penalties:
CSU 6 for 3:30
UW 7 for 5:30

Attendance: 150