CSU Lacrosse Victorious in Vegas, Look Ahead to Spring

The defending National Champion Colorado State men's lacrosse team finished
up a very successful fall season with a 4-0 weekend in Las Vegas against
three of the top teams in the USLIA. The shortened games served as
measuring sticks for all teams as they prepare for the upcoming 2002 season.
Sonoma State, Arizona, and Brigham Young were all victims of a maturing
Rams squad in the Best of the West tournament on 10/27/01.

The first test for CSU was Sonoma State in an early morning affair. The
Sonoma and Colorado State rivalry is quickly becoming one of the best in the
USLIA with three spring contests in the past three years decided by a total
margin of four goals. Behind sophomore attackman Nick Harper's two goals
and one assist, the Rams got the day started off right with a 9-6 victory
against a very good SSU squad. The highlight of the game for CSU was the
man-down unit, which killed 7 of 8 Sonoma chances.

Next up for the Rams was the University of Arizona. The Laxcats, not
playing with former head coach Mickey-Miles Felton in the coaching box,
played an inspired game and only trailed by a couple at halftime. The Rams
finally got cooking in the second half, however, and beat a very improved
Arizona team by a score of 9-3. Harper once again led the charge with three
goals. Senior Mike Napolilli played well also with two goals and three
assists.

In the nightcap of the tournament, arch-rival Brigham Young awaited the
Rams. BYU had beaten CSU handily in Logan, UT in late September and the
Rams were looking to exact some revenge. Thanks to some favorable
scheduling that had Sonoma State playing the Cougars immediately before the
Rams, CSU found the going a little easier in this game. Freshman defenseman
Ryan Price held All-American Rex Hardy to limited scoring chances as CSU
jumped out to a 6-2 halftime lead. The Rams played their most solid game
all fall as they held on for a 9-7 victory. The Cougars scored twice in the
last minute of the game to keep it close. Defense was the story of the day
as Alex Smith, back from a sprained ankle that had him sidelined for a
month, made eleven saves. Price, sophomore Mark Plonkey, and senior Jeremy
Smith all played well on defense against BYU. Once again, the man-down unit
stepped up, allowing just three goals on eight attempts. On the offensive
side, Harper continued his scoring spree with four more goals. Napolilli
(2g, 1a), senior midfielder Doug Priebe (3a), and senior attackman Ryan
Davis (2g) added to that in a very encouraging effort for the Rams.

Directly following this game, the Rams and Cougars "B" squads faced off in
what should be many great battles for the youngsters on both sides. After
an extensive overtime period, sophomore Kelton Johnson scored the winner
with a running ripper into the upper corner. The final score of the game
was 7-6.

Colorado State used the day as a learning tool as they got to measure
themselves against their early season disappointment to the Brigham Young.
Staying out of the sin bin will be the focal point in the off-season for the
Rams as they finished the day with 25 penalties. They finished the fall
with a 12-2 record, one loss coming to the Cougars and the other handed to the "B" squad by the University of Colorado earlier in the season.