GAME SUMMARY:
ST. LOUIS, MO - For the 7th year, the best teams in the USLIA met in St. Louis to compete for the ultimate prize - the National Championship. With teams like Michigan, BYU, UCSB, CSU and Sonoma State in the running, it was bound to be an exciting finish to a great year, and it was.

CSU and UCSB seemed destined for the championship game from the start of the tournament. UCSB came into the game having lost only once all season, while CSU had lost to both Colorado College and Utah this season. But, that is what is so great about tournaments - everyone starts with a clean slate.

Don't let the low score fool you into thinking this wasn't an intense game. The teams kept the score tight throughout the entire game, with the biggest lead being three goals. The first quarter began with a quick Gaucho goal in the first minute from Stefan Isakson. CSU answered soon thereafter when Thomas Robinson shot one past UCSB goalie Ryan Brittain and the game was quickly tied. CSU followed that goal with another about a minute later from John Naab, who received a great pass from Jimmy Hasson. UCSB ended the first quarter with one more goal from Will Patton to knot the game at 2-2 into the 2nd quarter.

CSU shutout the Gaucho offense in the 2nd quarter, while the Rams picked up two more goals of their own. CSU scored early from Thomas Robinson (his 2nd) and then again in the last few minutes from John Naab and it was 4-2 CSU at the half.

Both teams worked hard defensively to keep the ball in their possession, so there was a lot of slashing and running in the 2nd half as time winded down. UCSB scored their 3rd goal early in the quarter from Hank Caulkins to deplete the lead back to one. CSU answered a few minutes later thanks to Kelten Johnson's goal off a feed from Jared Katz. It was back to a two-goal lead for the Rams at 5-3 into the last 15 minutes of play.

CSU's Tim Chorey scored early on a fast break right off the face-off to give the Rams their biggest lead of the day and it was 6-3. The Rams defense held strong against the Gauchos for the rest of the game and only allowed one more goal. UCSB's Will Patton was able to get one behind CSU goalie Alex Smith with just 26 seconds left, but it was not nearly enough as CSU went on to win their 3rd National Championship in 5 years. They went home with what they came for - a National Championship.

NOTES:
UCSB ranked #1 in USLIA Top 25 Poll and #1 seed in tournament
CSU ranked #2 in USLIA Top 25 Poll and #2 seed in tournament

Site: St. Louis, MO
Score: CSU 6, UCSB 4
Records: CSU (18-2), UCSB (21-2)

QUOTES:
CSU Head Coach (Flip Naumburg):
"Beating the #1 ranked team erases our loss against unranked Utah over the weekend. The team really responded today and we showed our range of play."

CSU Goalie (Alex Smith):
"It felt good to get the win today, especially when we have so many guys out with injuries. We have a great rivalry with Sonoma, they are a fun team to play. Our focus now is on Michigan. They are a quicker team and we need to play a strong defensive game on Saturday."

CSU Midfielder (Thomas Robinson):
"I am excited that I picked a good game to step up and get the game winning goal for the team. I can't wait to play Michigan in front of a big crowd on Saturday."

Sonoma State Head Coach (Doug Carl):
"We got beat today by a good CSU squad. They have a history of matching their competition and today they just played a smarter, better lacrosse game."

Colorado State Scoring:
Jared Katz, 3 points (3 assists)
John Naab, 2 points (2 goals)
Thomas Robinson, 2 points (2 goals)
Kelten Johnson, 1 point (1 goal)
Tim Chorey, 1 point (1 goal)
Jimmy Hasson, 1 point (1 assist)
Mike Murphy, 1 point (1 assist)

UCSB Scoring:
Will Patton, 2 points (2 goals)
Hank Caulkins, 1 point (1 goal)
Stefan Isakson, 1 point (1 goal)

Goaltenders:
CSU: Alex Smith (60:00 minutes, 14 saves, 4 goals against on 33 shots)
UCSB: Ryan Brittain (60:00 minutes, 10 saves, 6 goals against on 25 shots)

Ground Balls:
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
CSU: 7 10 10 6 - 33
UCSB: 8 3 4 3 - 18

Shots:
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
CSU: 6 7 5 7 - 25
UCSB: 11 9 7 6 - 33

Face-offs:
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
CSU: 1/5 1/3 2/3 1/2 - 5/13
UCSB: 4/5 2/3 1/3 1/2 - 8/13

Extra Man:
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
CSU: 0/0 0/0 0/1 0/0 - 0/1
UCSB: 0/1 0/0 0/0 1/1 - 1/2

Clears:
1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
CSU: 7/7 8/9 11/13 6/7 - 32/36
UCSB: 6/7 8/9 8/10 6/6 - 28/32

Turnovers:
CSU: 17
UCSB: 13

Colorado State Penalties:
Phil Eichhorn 1:00 min. Illegal Body Check 1st quarter
Tim Chorey 1:00 min Illegal Body Check 4th quarter

UCSB Penalties:
Brendan Lucker :30 sec. Push 3rd quarter