Tag Archives: Colorado

WCLA Lacrosse: #1 Colorado State Women’s Lacrosse (15-0) Faces Colorado On April 20 With Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) Championship On The Line

Posted on April 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

Colorado State Women's Lacrosse

CSU doesn’t ordinarily give second chances. Tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m., the women’s lacrosse team will take on CU-Boulder less than a week after beating them in a thrilling 10-9 victory.

This time though, the stakes are higher. The winner of this game will bring home the Rocky Mountain Women’s Lacrosse League trophy.

colorado women's lacrosse bannerThe recent, bizarre April-blizzard adds to the hype, as neither team was able to practice much throughout the week.

“The snow put a huge damper on our practice schedule this week,” CSU coach Lindsey Hudek said. “It’s hard to focus after so many days off, but it was also a good time for the girls to recover and get homework done.”

Although the Rams came away with a win last week, focus was an element that Hudek felt was missing. That largely contributed to the unexpected nail-biter and close ending score.

“Last week we had so much going on in terms of hosting the game, it being the breast cancer game and senior night,” she said. “I think this time, our minds will be in the right place.”

On the other end, CU is still nursing the wound left by the narrow loss. They also had to figure out alternative practices thanks to Colorado’s weird weather.

“The snow has made it bit of challenge for practice this week,” CU attack Avery Toothman said. “But our minds are still fresh from our last game, and everyone knows what needs to be done. We’ve all been really excited and pumped up all week to play CSU again.”

Likewise, the CSU players have heeded their coaches’ remonstrations, and are ready to get back out there, and play like the nation’s No. 1 team despite only having two practices in Loveland throughout the week.

“We know what mistakes we made against their defense and offense and are ready to make up for those,” senior captain Maddie Garcia said. “If we play state lacrosse, there is absolutely no possibility we will lose.”

As far as the game being at Kittredge Field in Boulder, the Rams are unconcerned. They only had one home field game the entire season, which also happened to be one of their lowest scoring.

“We always play better when we travel, we get more mentally serious,” senior captain Sarah Langlie said. “After how we played them last week, we are all really pumped to play them again and show them that we can overcome any obstacles.”

Still, Friday’s game will not likely be a runaway victory for CSU. Any Rocky Mountain Showdown is bound to be electric with passionate tension, from both the spectators and the players themselves.

For more: 
http://www.collegian.com/2013/04/19/csu-womens-lacrosse-mentally-ready-for-rocky-mountain-showdown/

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MCLA Lacrosse: Colorado Men’s Lacrosse All-American Goalie Brad Macnee Profiled By Lacrosse Magazine As A Fiery And Experienced Team Leader “Who Gets A Little More Leeway”

Posted on April 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

Colorado State Men's Lacrosse BannerMacnee is allowed to make this transformation without much blowback because of his accomplishments for the Buffs. Colorado has made the MCLA tournament the first three years of Macnee’s tenure and, at 14-0 heading into this weekend’s game with top-ranked and defending national champion Colorado State, it is a lock for Greenville once again thanks in large part to his presence.

Colorado Men's Lacrosse Goalie Brad Macnee

Mild-mannered computer science nerd off the field, Brad Macnee morphs into a completely different guy when he steps between the pipes for second-ranked Colorado. Photo by Cecil Copeland

Colorado head coach John Galvin has two standing rules he likes to enforce during his practices: no cursing among the players and no smiles spreading across his face.

Galvin’s no prude, he just feels swearing represents a certain lack of discipline, something that his entire Buffalo program is predicated on. He’s no grouch, either, but he likes to keep a businesslike demeanor when his second-ranked program gets ready for games in the MCLA. As much as he tries to adhere to these cornerstones, there are certain occasions when he’ll allow the rules to be bent, and typically they involve senior All-American goalie Brad Macnee.

“At practice, he is kind of a fiery guy,” Galvin said of Macnee. “Brad probably has a little more leeway, not because he’s Brad Macnee, but he has been there before and he’s trying to fire up our guys. He says some things that will make me smirk. He says some things to our guys to get them fired up. He’s serious, but I find it pretty amusing.”

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Jac Coyne

A case in point was a couple of weeks ago when the Buffs were doing their walk-through prior to a game at Cal Poly. One of the long-stick middies operating in front of Macnee had his foot stepped on, stopped playing and said that it really hurt. It wasn’t anything serious, just one of the daily occurrences in the life of a backliner.

After a couple of seconds, Macnee asked in tone of faux concern, “Are you OK, [expletive]?”

“It wasn’t yelling. It was just like me and you talking right now. It was almost like he wanted to give him a hug,” Galvin said. “But everyone just cracked up. Just the demeanor and way he said it, he was serious. There was no smile. The LSM kind of looked at him and couldn’t say anything, and everyone was looking at me to make sure I wasn’t mad, but I was kind of cracking up. It loosened up the mood. That’s kind of his M.O.”

Macnee is definitely an interesting bird when it comes to lacrosse. Before games, Macnee will have his earphones on with the music cranked — Galvin described it as “death metal” — and immersed in almost a catatonic state. And if there are any screw-ups in front of him, whether during a game or practice, Macnee is not afraid to let his teammates hear it.

For more: 
http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2012-13/news/041913_weekender_the_two_sides_of_colorados_goalie

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Western Lacrosse: Colorado Youth Lacrosse Continues To Grow As Coaching Improves

Posted on April 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

The biggest improvement may be in the coaching. One reason soccer has stagnated  in the U.S. is the dearth of quality coaches. Lacrosse is booming in part  because of the quality of instruction.

Denver Men's Lacrosse Coach Bill Tierney

Denver Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Bill Tierney

Youth lacrosse in Colorado is booming. That has trickled up to high schools and  college. The Colorado Youth Lacrosse Association has 7,000 boys participating.  The Denver Lacrosse Club, part of the CYLA, boasts  750 in the spring alone.   Rod Allison has introduced inner-city kids to lacrosse with Denver City Lax.

The lacrosse craze has put a  Colorado twist on the national college lacrosse  scene. A sport that used to be as  East Coast as subways and crab cakes,  lacrosse has found a major feeding ground in the Denver area. The University of  Denver men’s team, ranked third nationally and only two years removed from its  first Final Four berth, has nine in-state players. Air Force has 11.  Thirty-three other Colorado prep products  are playing among  22 other NCAA  Division I men’s teams.

“You can get a kid from Colorado as good as the top kid anywhere,” said DU   coach Bill Tierney.

Tierney is considered the Mike Krzyzewski of college lacrosse. He coached six  national championship teams  at Princeton, yet uprooted to one of only three  Division I schools west of the Eastern time zone. He didn’t have a midlife  crisis. He’s not much of a skier. But he knew he could build a winner  at DU.   “There was comfort in knowing there was a good recruiting base here,” he  said.

In Tierney’s first year at Princeton, in 1988, he signed a Colorado prep  player: Chris McHugh of Manual High School. Tierney then had Coloradans on every  Princeton team through 2005.

Leading the Pioneers (9-2) into a showdown Saturday in Baltimore against  fifth-ranked Loyola (9-2), the  defending national champion,  is Eric Law, DU’s  leading scorer. He attended  Arapahoe High School. A senior, Law has gone stick  to stick against the stars from traditional eastern breeding grounds for four  years.

Read more: DU’s Tierney sees Colorado high school lacrosse continuing to improve – The Denver Post

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MCLA Lacrosse: #2 Colorado Men’s Lacrosse (12-0) Defeats #6 BYU 11-9 On March 30

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

colorado men's lacrosse

The No. 2 ranked University of Colorado beat the BYU lacrosse team in its first loss at home this season. After a long week on the road, BYU came home to face an undefeated Colorado. This win brings Colorado to 12–0 and moves the Cougars to 11–2.

The Cougars started the game quick by scoring the first two goals of the game, and they ended the quarter with a 2–1 lead. The second quarter started the same way as the first with another two goals by the Cougars, but the Buffalos came right back scoring five goals in a row. Captain Pat Matheson fired right back to score a clutch goal with three seconds left in the half, tying the game.

“We cannot just come off with a big start,” senior long stick midfielder Grayson Dahl said. “We have to end with a big finish.”

BYU and Colorado exchanged goals and the lead multiple times in the third quarter but ended with another tie game, 8–8. The fourth quarter proved to be just as difficult as the past three. The Buffalos came out hard and played with a lot of intensity, scoring the first goal of the quarter. Matheson answered back with his fourth and final goal. The Buffalos finished the game with two more goals ending with a 11–9 loss for the Cougars.

“It’s been a long week for us,” BYU coach Matt Schneck said. “We have had four games in five days and that was a challenge for us.”

This is BYU’s first home loss since May of 2010, where they lost to a tough Colorado State.

BYU Men's Lacrosse Banner

For more: 
http://universe.byu.edu/beta/2013/03/31/colorado-narrowly-defeats-byu-lacrosse/

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MCLA Lacrosse: Top Games Feature #3 Colorado Men’s Lacrosse At #6 BYU, #25 Simon Fraser At #24 Davenport And Clemson At #16 Georgia

Posted on March 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

MCLA

No. 3 Colorado (10-0) at No. 6 BYU (11-1) – Saturday, 4 p.m. MT

COYNE: BYU is on quite a roll. There’s no underselling what they were able to do against three strong programs earlier in the week. However, as I assess this game, I have to take a peek back to the Arizona State loss. Sure, we can chalk that up to one bad game, but I think there are some clues we can take from that contest that will help selecting a winner here.

Both Colorado and Arizona State are teams predicated on their defenses, and the Cougars had trouble solving the Sun Devils backline. Tying into this, BYU was able to jump out to substantial first quarter leads against Oregon (up 5-1 after 15 minutes), Cal (4-0) and Stanford (3-1), which allowed the Cougs to manage the game. That’s not going to happen against Colorado. It’s going to be a grinder, and that does not play to BYU strengths. The Buffs leave Provo with a 7-5 win.

SCHOOLER: Every season has its low point, and for the Cougars, that low point was their trip to Arizona. Nearly losing to Grand Canyon and getting handled by ASU must have left a bad taste in their mouths because they ripped through northern California, beating three top ten teams in three days.

If that is not great practice for nationals, I don’t know what is. Should we just hand them the trophy? Probably not. Crazy things happen in the RMLC and the undefeated Buffs come to town this weekend. Can they knock off two undefeated teams in a row? I think the chances of that are likely. BYU wins, 9-8.

No. 25 Simon Fraser (5-4) at No. 24 Davenport (5-2) – Sunday, 2 p.m.

COYNE: Canada’s team travels to Michigan to play a squad that operates with Canadian flair. The save percentages are going to be low and the shot totals high when these two meet on Easter Sunday. Fraser’s Colton Dow (20g, 10a) and Sam Clare (18g, 7a) will square off with Jordan Richtsmeier (17g, 24a) and Dominic Baggiano (21g, 11a) to see who can put up the most goals, assists and style points.

Both teams will come into the contest a little tired as Davenport plays Indiana Tech for the WHAC Championship on Saturday while the Clansmen must contend with Michigan State. Fraser definitely gets the rougher end of that trade, allowing the Panthers to score the final three goals in an 18-15 victory.

SCHOOLER: This is a tough one for me. I have not been able to follow SFU very closely, but I have been impressed with what I have seen from Davenport. They have made a smooth transition to Division I and give hope to all of those teams hoping to make the move like Liberty.

I think this game will be close, but two tough games in row may be too much for the Clansmen to pull off this win. They may come out of this road trip with two losses, effectively knocking them out of the AL hunt for nationals. Panthers win, 10-8.

Schooler’s Pick

Clemson (4-3) at No. 16 Georgia (9-0) – Friday, 7 p.m.

SCHOOLER: I picked this game because there seem to be very few intriguing games this weekend and because I think Clemson has a chance to win this game. Or at least that is what I was hoping Jac would think.

A young team led by senior Trent Dean, the Bulldogs will just get better as the season progresses. The Tigers are the opposite with three senior attackmen led by team captain James McLoughlin (14g, 11a). The key for Clemson will be controlling Dean, but I do not see that happening. ‘Dogs win, 13-10.

COYNE: This one looks like an easy pick, with Georgia one of the six undefeated teams left in the Top 25 this week. The safe route is to go with the Bulldogs, especially with Dean (33g, 11a) hanging at least a hat trick on every team UGA has faced and David Lumsden operating a high level between the pipes. The Dawgs’ hot start has me believing that their trip to Colorado in a couple of weeks won’t be a complete whitewash.

Still, trap games come in different shapes and sizes, and this will be one for Georgia. The Tigers have spent the last two weeks game-planning this contest while UGA is undoubtedly taking a peek into April where three key conference games await along with the trip to the Rockies. Clemson’s goalie tandem gets hot and pulls a stunner, 7-6.

For more: 
http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2012-13/news/032813_schooling_schooler_a_truly_national_organization

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MCLA Lacrosse: Top Games Of The Week Feature #5 Chapman At #3 Colorado, #12 Sonoma State At #17 Virginia Tech And #6 BYU Vs #8 Oregon

Posted on March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

MCLA

No. 5 Chapman (7-2) at No. 3 Colorado (9-0) – Saturday, 7 p.m. MT

COYNE: Chapman was having trouble closing the deal earlier this season against Oregon and BYU, but the Panthers appear to have corrected that problem, rattling off six straight wins, including two one-goal triumphs against Arizona State and Grand Canyon and a two-goal victory over Richmond. That’s a big mental hurdle to have conquered, and should be a huge benefit once Greenville rolls around.

Speaking of nationals, depending on how the seeds play out, this could very well be a semifinal preview. Chapman’s speed out of the midfield will be where it has to make its money against Colorado, but the Buffs have been excellent at matching up well with talented middies and has been equally consistent quashing transition opportunities – always a Chapman staple. It’s going to be close and low-scoring, but I’ll be the Buffs at home, 7-6.

SCHOOLER: Coming off a fresh viewing on the Buffs, I think they are a good team, but not the third best team in the league. That position lies with ASU or Chapman. Call it SLC bias, but the Panthers will shut down the Buff’s offense. Colorado has scored seven, eight, and six goals against Oregon, LMU, and UCSB, respectively. One of those teams is not even ranked. So unless Colorado can turn things around, I think Chaptown takes this one home, 8-5.

No. 12 Sonoma State (4-2) at No. 17 Virginia Tech (6-3) – Saturday, 5 p.m.

COYNE: The jury is still out on these two teams. Both came into the season with a lot of promise and both have underwhelmed to this point in the season, so it’s appropriate that they square off on the Seawolves’ trip to Virginia. Both of these teams have struggled on big trips this year — ‘Noma couldn’t handle their sojourn to Oregon and the Hokies were humbled in Colorado.

Both teams will get a chance to scout each other out — Sonoma plays Richmond on Wednesday and VT faces George Washington on Friday night — so there won’t be any surprises. With a pair of decent defenses, this one will come down to who can find a way to score. So far this year, both have been weak in that department, but the Hokies have more untapped offensive resources. Tech, 8-7.

SCHOOLER: I commend the Seawolves (still hard to call them this) for making a trip to the east coast in March. Not many teams would do that. While it is a bit chilly right now, it is supposed to warm up for the weekend to temperatures similar to that of Northern California. So I do not think weather will be an issue.

The key for Doug Carl will be shutting down the high powered Hokies attack. So far this has not been an issue for many of the top teams and I put Sonoma in that category. Seawolves win, 11-8.

No. 6 BYU (8-1) vs. No. 8 Oregon (7-2) – Monday, 7 p.m. PT (at Berkeley, Calif.)

COYNE: BYU brings some traditional family values to the bacchanalia of Nick’s hometown with the hopes of getting the ship back on course after stumbling against Arizona State over the weekend. Meanwhile, Oregon is trying to build on its modest, three-game winning streak with games against Cal on Saturday and then the Cougars on Monday.

Both of these teams have jelled a lot quicker to this point than I thought they would and now they are both in midseason form. Mike Fabrizio (5.1 ppg) has filled the shoes of the departed Ted Ferrin for BYU while the Ducks have kept their usual balance between midfield and attack scoring. As such, this game will come down to the little things. The biggest little thing is going to be faceoffs. The Cougars struggled against ASU in that department and it showed on the scoreboard while Oregon boasts one of the top draw-men around in Trey Norris. Extra possessions will be the key as the Ducks win, 10-8.

SCHOOLER: I don’t know what is going on with these two teams. Both have some consistency problems, so I guess this will make for an interesting game. BYU has been slipping recently with the loss to ASU and near loss to GCU. That must have been a tough trip to Arizona. Oregon has similar problems with a crushing defeat early in the season to Stanford and a close win over Simon Fraser.

So I like this game as the game of the week. This is a defining game for both teams. The winner moves up and the loser moves down. Senior Matt Johnson has been solid for the Ducks while Mike Fabrizio and Jake Ferrin have been a solid attack/mid combo for the Cougars. This is a coin flip, but my gut tells me that BYU will pull this off, 11-10.

For more: 
http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2012-13/news/032113_schooling_schooler_handicapping_the_player_of_year_race

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MCLA Lacrosse: Top Games Of The Week Feature #2 BYU Men’s Lacrosse At #6 Arizona State, #4 Colorado At #7 UC Santa Barbara And #10 Minnesota-Duluth Vs #11 Michigan State

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

MCLA

No. 2 Brigham Young (6-0) at No. 6 Arizona State (5-1) – Saturday, 1 p.m.

COYNE: Ah, the game of the week. It features a pair of semifinalists from last year who are definitely heading back to Greenville, but both want this win just in case Colorado State stumbles and the top seed becomes available at some point. Oh, and it also happens to be a rematch of the ’11 title game, won by the Cougars, 10-8.

The Sun Devils are certainly a more dangerous team than last year, when they were forced to rely heavily on their defense and pray for a couple of opportunistic goals. Still, they rely on heavily on the one-on-one abilities of Payson Clark and Justin Straker, who account for over half of ASU’s goals this spring. Clark and Straker are undoubtedly good, but that kind of top-heavy scoring makes game-planning relatively simple. BYU has some holes, and they will get a handful from Grand Canyon on Thursday, but they’ll find enough goals to take this one down. Cougars, 12-9.

SCHOOLER: The Sun Devils are in a comfortable place. They do not have to leave the state of Arizona for the rest of the regular season. The Cougars are stepping out of the mountains and into the desert, and it is tough to win games in Scottsdale.

I will be visiting Arizona this weekend, but will not have the time to check out the game. That is unfortunate because I believe this will be a good one. I can see this being a classic battle of defenses. I’m sticking with the SLC in a close one. Devils, 8-7.

Schooler’s Pick

Texas State (7-1) vs. Northeastern (0-3) – Saturday, 1 p.m. (at Providence, R.I.)

SCHOOLER: This is a bold trip for the Bobcats. The PCLL must be gaining a lot of respect if teams are leaving the warmth of places like Texas to play some lacrosse in the chilly northeast. I have tried playing in the cold before, and if you are not used to it, it is all you can think about during the game.

Texas State better hope for warm weather because I do not see it in the forecast. This Northeastern team is good despite their winless record. Those losses all came at the hands of teams much better than Texas State. Huskies win, 13-9.

COYNE: The records entering this game would lend one to believe that Texas State is the prohibitive favorite in this contest, but in actuality, the Bobcats are underdogs. Northeastern showed on its season-opening trip to California – where it lost by a goal to No. 13 Cal and No. 3 Stanford, and by three to No. 7 UCSB in the third game in four days – that it can run with anyone. Meanwhile, TxState has played one team of note, No. 9 Boston College, and lost, 9-7.

The Bobcats have some offensive weapons in Dom Pizzuti (24g, 5a), Clark Dansby (18g, 4a) and Andy Uhl (17g, 15a), but they may never see the ball. Mike Lehmann, who happens to lead the Huskies in points at this point, is one of the top faceoff men in the country, and will control possessions for Northeastern all afternoon. Eventually, the State defensive will wear down under the constant pressure, leading to a comfortable win for NU. Huskies, 13-8.

No. 4 Colorado (7-0) at No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (6-2) – Friday, 7 p.m. PT

COYNE: Admittedly, I was a little suspect of the Buffs heading into this season, but they’ve lived up to their preseason ranking so far, backstopped by Brad Macnee, who is currently the frontrunner for Player of the Year (we’ll give him a pass for the 11 goals against Fraser). UCSB continues its trend of making every game close, no matter the competition, although they showed some grit rallying late against Texas.

As those who have been following this space know, I am perpetually leery of the “Double Down” – when one teams travels and plays a pair of teams that have no other games on their schedule. While technically this is only a partial Double Down (Cal Poly plays UC Davis on Saturday), the Buffs will be playing a pair of fresh teams, including the Gauchos on the second day. I’m going to break from tradition and take the Buffs because of Macnee and their goal-scoring prowess this season. Colorado, 8-7.

SCHOOLER: UCSB will come out with an early lead, but not because the Buffs play Cal Poly the night before. The Gauchos have allowed 20 first half goals while scoring 36 of their own.

The second half will be a different story. The Gauchos have given up more than twice as many goals (43) in the second half so far this season. So I can see this being another nail biter just like the Stanford, Cal, CSU, and Texas games.

This isn’t because the Gauchos are running out of gas – they are also scoring more goals in the second half (46). The defense cannot become complacent when they get a lead. They need to keep the pressure on and I see them doing so in their first game in the stadium this season. Gauchos win, 10-8.

No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth (5-1) vs. No. 11 Michigan State (0-0) – Friday, 8:30 p.m. (at Lisle, Ill.)

COYNE: It’s not going to be the best game of the weekend (see below), but this will be the most intriguing. We discussed Duluth’s plight last week, and now it is entering a critical contest against a Michigan State team we know very little about.

They have a new coach — Brandon Schwind has taken over for Dwayne Hicks — and we know that the Spartans are loaded with talent, but is it realistic to pick a team that has yet to play a game against the Bulldogs, which have already measured themselves against a pair of semifinal squads from ’12? The Spartans will be just fine during the rest of the season, and likely cruise to the CCLA title, but they’ll be running into a buzzsaw here. Bulldogs, 12-7.

SCHOOLER: As discussed last week, this is a must win for Duluth, and a doable one at that. This will be the first game for the Spartans, but expect them to start where they left off. They have kept their core intact and look to improve on their 12-4 record last season.

I see this as the end of the road for any hope of the UMLC getting a team to South Carolina. Sparty, 9-6.

For more: http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2012-13/news/031413_schooling_schooler_rethinking_coaching_longevity

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WCLA Lacrosse: #5 UC Santa Barabara Women’s Lacrosse Dominates #8 Colorado 20-12 On March 8 As Part Of Inaugural “Santa Barbara International Friendship Games” Featuring Japanese Teams From Meiji And Nihon University

Posted on March 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

The Gauchos took on the 8th ranked University of Colorado, Boulder in the nightcap on the opening day of the inaugural Santa Barbara International Friendship Games and won going away with a monster second half. The score was close at halftime with UCSB slightly ahead of the Buffalos 9-8. Then the Gauchos outscored Colorado 11-4 in the second half for the final 20-12 result. It was the fifth straight win for 5th ranked UCSB.

The Gauchos took on the 8th ranked University of Colorado, Boulder in the nightcap on the opening day of the inaugural Santa Barbara International Friendship Games and won going away with a monster second half. The score was close at halftime with UCSB slightly ahead of the Buffalos 9-8. Then the Gauchos outscored Colorado 11-4 in the second half for the final 20-12 result. It was the fifth straight win for 5th ranked UCSB.

Colorado tied the Gauchos 10-10 early in the second half. To that UCSB responded with a 6 goal run over a 10 minute stretch that broke open the game. At the end of the run the Gauchos led 16-10 with 9 minutes remaining. The Buffalos got a goal to pull within 5 but UCSB outscored them 4-1 in the final 6 minutes to finish the game and put them away. The score over the last 22 minutes of the game was 10-2 in favor of the Gauchos.

UCSB outshot Colorado 29-17 and junior Blair Evans (Salinas, CA) had a career best day on offense, leading all scorers with 8 goals. Evans netted her 8 goals on 9 shots, shooting 88.9%. It was a balanced effort all around among UCSB players with 8 Gauchos contributing to the offensive outburst. Sophomore Lindsay Alex (Tustin, CA) had 5 assists. The game marked the return of two-time All-American defender Emilia Norlin (Mill Valley, CA) who had missed the four previous games with a hamstring strain. Norlin played about 25 minutes subbing in off the bench and brought some depth back on defense for UCSB.

“We’re learning how to put good teams away,” said UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey after the game.

“Getting Emilia back on the field is really nice for us and it came at a good time but we still used her sparingly just to make sure her hamstring can continue to heal and get stronger.”

The game between UCSB and Colorado wasn’t an international game but preceding it were three games involving Japanese university teams, Meiji and Nihon.

Other Results:
SBCC 11, Nihon 9
Meiji 12, UCSB ‘B’ 7
Colorado College 12, Nihon 1

UCSB improved to 9-3 overall while Colorado dropped to 3-3. The Gauchos have a weekend off after this Friday night game before playing another Friday night lights game when they host 18th ranked Cal Poly SLO on March 15th at 8:00pm. The SB International Friendship Games continue on Saturday with Meiji and Nihon taking on UCSB ‘B’, SBCC and Cal State Fullerton in friendlies. Mixed in are a national match-up between NCAA DIII teams Chapman University and Colorado College and a WWLL match-up between Cal State Fullerton and SBCC.

Meiji University Women's Lacrosse (Japan)

Meiji University Women’s Lacrosse (Japan)

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MCLA Lacrosse: Top Games Of The Week Feature #4 Colorado Men’s Lacrosse Vs #10 Virginia Tech, #11 Sonoma State At #8 Oregon, #12 Texas At #6 UC Santa Barbara And #18 Cal Poly At #7 Chapman

Posted on March 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

MCLA

No. 10 Virginia Tech (4-0) at No. 4 Colorado (4-0) – Saturday, 1 p.m. MT

COYNE: Virginia Tech is a good team, and is the odds-on favorite to win the SELC title, but they are going against two hurdles this weekend. The first is the altitude. I know a lot of people pooh-pooh the concept, but Michigan went out to Denver three days early each time they went to Denver. That kind of tells me there’s something to it, even if it’s just psychological. The Hokies will be getting off their plane on Friday night and playing their opening game in Boulder less than 24 hours later. Not good.

Second, Tech will have to deal with Brad Macnee, Colorado’s netminder and the best keeper in the country. Last year, I wouldn’t be quite as concerned because the Hokies were scoring goals. They are struggling so far this season to produce on the offensive end, and that’s trouble against Macnee, who is probably going to rob you of at least four markers. Virginia Tech will be in this game because they are good team, but they can’t fight these obstacles. Buffs, 10-6.

SCHOOLER: Props to the Hokies for finally making a trip out West. The RMLC has the best teams in the league and hopefully they can steal a win in the Rockies, but I don’t see that happening.

You never know what you are going to get with the Buffs early in the season, but they pulled out an impressive win against the Ducks last week. Even with the return of Matt Giannelli for his final season, coach Galvin and his defense will be able to shut down the one dimensional Hokies. CU wins, 12-9.

No. 11 Sonoma State (2-0) at No. 8 Oregon (5-2) – Saturday, 1 p.m. PT

COYNE: It wasn’t much of a trip, but the road win for ‘Noma against California was a big deal. It showed that the Seawolves could match some of the preseason hype that was surrounding them. I’m sure it also gave them a good confidence boost, along with a pivotal WCLL win. However, now Sonoma is on the brink of the Top 10 and is heading to play No. 8 Oregon on the road. I’m afraid it’ll have to prove itself again.

Trey Norris (70-for-114 on faceoffs) has been a weapon all season for the Ducks, and he should dominate once again versus the Seawolves. And while Cal’s Dan Cohen and Sean Hayden are a dynamic one-two punch on attack, Oregon’s Matt Johnson (16g, 15a) and Benton Souers (17g, 6a) have proven it against some of the top teams in the country. Sonoma won’t get embarrassed, but they’ll struggle to keep up with the Ducks for four quarters. UO, 10-7.

SCHOOLER: This will likely be the best game the weekend has to offer. I think these are evenly matched teams. I have heard a lot of good things about Sonoma throughout the offseason. Until they took down Cal, that’s all it was…talk.

The Ducks have a strong attack while Sonoma has a strong defense. So get ready for a battle. I see another overtime game with the Seawolves coming out on top. 10-9.

No. 12 Texas (6-1) at No. 6 UCSB (4-2) - Sunday, 1 p.m. PT

SCHOOLER: Texas came through Santa Barbara in 2010, but was too scared to play the Gauchos. They plays FSU instead, taking the W and setting the tone for their whole season. All kidding aside, I really wish I could have seen the ‘Horns take on the Gauchos. Three years later, I’ll have my chance.

I dog on Texas and the LSA a lot, but I actually have a lot of respect for the Longhorns. They have stepped up their game over the last few seasons and elevated themselves above everyone in the conference. The Gauchos have no trouble coming out hot against teams. Their issue is sustaining that fire for all four quarters. I can see UCSB going up early and Texas clawing back. But I have the Gauchos holding on for the 10-8 win.

COYNE: If Texas had pulled out the win over Boston College on Monday night, I would have been more inclined to take a flyer on them in this game, but it should still be competitive regardless. I won’t build up the suspense — UCSB will win — but this game, along with Tuesday’s matchup with Sonoma State, are important for the development of the UT program under new head coach Andy Garrigan. Not only does it put the program on a different plane in terms of respectability, but just making this West Coast swing will be good for a seed or two at nationals, regardless of the outcomes.

Nick has it spot on with the flow of this game. The Gauchos will jump the ‘Horns early, and then coast home for the win. UCSB, 11-8.

Coyne’s Pick

No. 18 Cal Poly (2-3) at No. 7 Chapman (4-2) – Saturday, 1 p.m.

COYNE: Is there really a chance that this Cal Poly team can go down to Chapman and knock off the Panthers? Absolutely. I know the nine-goal loss to UC Santa Barbara sticks in everybody’s mind, but the Mustangs were neck-and-neck with Duluth in an overtime game and gave ASU everything it could handle. This team isn’t very far off. Plus, this Chapman edition isn’t quite as complete (yet) as it has been in the last couple of years.

If this game is played in SLO or even at a neutral field, I’m take Poly in an heartbeat. Alas, Chapman is traditionally a much different team at home than on the road, and that saves the Panthers here. Chappy, 9-8.

SCHOOLER: Chapman has had some crazy and close games this season. Take last weekend for example. They beat ASU by a goal then turn around and barely beat a lesser Grand Canyon by a goal. Earlier in the season, they crush San Diego then lose to Oregon. What team are we going to get?

While Cal Poly has improved since they were stomped by the Gauchos (you knew I would have to bring this up), they have improved. A two goal loss to ASU is commendable, but not enough to convince me that they can put together what is needed to beat Chaptown. Panthers win, 12-8.

For more:  http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_men/club/2012-13/news/030613_schooling_schooler_is_duluth_already_in_trouble

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NCAA Lacrosse: Colorado Women’s Lacrosse Builds Inaugural Program Around Northwestern Tradition And “Crazy Growth Of Girls Lacrosse” In Colorado

Posted on March 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

Colorado Women's Lacrosse

The Buffs will join the four other Pac-12 women’s lacrosse programs (Southern Cal, Stanford, Oregon and California) in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which also includes the University of Denver. The Pac-12 will sanction women’s lacrosse once a sixth team is added, according to Colorado associate athletic director Julie Manning, who was largely responsible for bringing women’s lacrosse to CU.

This spring, eight new programs started across the country, including at Southern California. In 2014 the number of Division 1 programs will reach 102 with the addition of Michigan and Colorado, and by 2016, three more teams, Furman, Mercer and Central Michigan, will up that number to 105.

Colorado Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Ann Elliott

Colorado Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach And Northwestern Lacrosse Alum Ann Elliott

This fall as a gaggle of eager freshmen arrive on campus in Boulder, a group of 20 women will also arrive, ready to make history as the inaugural members of the University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team.

All 20 women are young, new to college and new to Division 1 lacrosse. Head coach Ann Elliott says she’s anxious to get onto the field with her team, which will begin play next spring.

“In all honesty, one of the biggest challenges has just been not having a team right now,” she said. “We’re used to being on the field all the time and seeing that progress with the kids.”

Developing a group of green 17- and 18-year-olds will be a challenge, Elliott knows. But the huge grin across her face as she talks animatedly about her new team doesn’t give away any nerves the young coach might have about starting a program from scratch. Elliott, 28, was hired last spring after the CU athletic department announced it would add women’s lacrosse as its 17th varsity sport.

Manning and the athletic department began talking about adding a sport before CU finalized its move to the Pac-12 two years ago.

The conversation kept coming back to women’s lacrosse, Manning said, because it made sense given the university’s needs and current facilities. It’s a spring women’s sport, growing quickly on the West Coast and in Colorado and eventually the university could sell tickets to matches, Manning said.

Colorado Girls Lacrosse Association President Kevin Mortimer said the sport is growing “like crazy” in Colorado, especially on the girl’s side. He coaches the Grandview High School girls lacrosse team in Aurora, which has doubled in size in the last year. He’s even adding a third “C” level development team to help with the overflow, he said.

Manning and other administrators visited Denver and talked with Stanford, Northwestern and Virginia to see what building the program would look like at a time when other schools are facing athletic budget cuts.

“As an administrator, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Manning said. “Not many institutions are adding any sort of sports programs. Many institutions are going the other way.”

Colorado has the support of the university and hype from the state’s lacrosse fans, but Elliott will still face the challenge of acclimating 20 women to collegiate life and Division 1 lacrosse without upperclassmen mentors to look to for guidance.

Four of the new players come from Colorado, while the rest are from a mix of East Coast states, California and the Midwest.

Nielsen said it didn’t take much to convince many recruits to commit to Colorado once they saw the campus. It helped that Elliott, Nielsen and Magarity had a handful of national titles between them, and spoke about unanimous lacrosse philosophies.

“When we’re talking to recruits, we all agree with what everyone’s saying because we’ve been part of the same program and we have the same beliefs,” Nielsen said. “We’ve got that unique experience that not a lot of coaching staffs out there have. We know what works. We’ve been part of national championships. We know the right way to do things.”

Nielsen said she’s looking forward to starting new traditions at Colorado, an opportunity most coaches don’t get with an existing program, and said her expectations for the team’s first season next year are high.

For more:  http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-college-sports/ci_22700755/womens-lacrosse-ann-elliott-itching-get-field-cu

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