While the Rams were not able to catch the Air Force Falcons on the score board, they proved they could catch them on the field. The game started with a quick rush by the Falcons offense, scoring a goal within the first minute of the game. The fast paced attacks continued through the first half and the Falcons scored seven points. The Rams slowed the pace of the game to score during the first period. But when the half came to a close they were behind 7-3. “We learned a lesson in playing a full game today. I thought we came out and were a little shell shocked at the start,” Head Coach Alex Smith said. “It was disappointing to play the way we did in the first quarter because we are a better team than we showed. But when we settled down and got into the rhythm of the game, I thought we very much proved that we belonged on the same field as Air Force.” During the second half the Rams pumped up the intensity and surprised Air Force. They took control in the third quarter scoring four goals. They kept the shots coming and the defense held off the Falcons’ advances. This is something, Coach Smith said, that the Rams haven’t been able to do against the Air Force Academy in previous scrimmages. Playing the Falcons gives the team an opportunity to gauge their skill level. “I don’t put too much stock into the final score because we wanted to evaluate the how more than the end result,” Coach Smith said. “It definitely gives us an opportunity to troubleshoot where we need to improve as we go forward in the season.” The Rams finished a nearly undefeated season last year ranked No. 2 in their league, and they made it to the quarter-finals of the MCLA Championships. This season the Rams have high hopes to continue the winning tradition. This game showed the Rams’ ability to match the intensity and stamina of a top team. “They played their top guys for most of the first half it seemed like, and then went pretty deep. We went deep too, using three goalies, which was great because we have such a good competition at that position right now. It was a scrimmage, but we really wanted to test ourselves against some very good competition and see where we were as a team. In that respect, it was a great game for us,” Coach Smith. More information in the CSU men’s lacrosse team can be found at <a href="https://csulacrosse.com/">www.csulacrosse.com</a> or by following CSU Men’s Lacrosse on Facebook. <p style="text-align: center">###</p> <strong>Game Stats</strong> Lacrosse Box Score (4th Period) Colorado State vs Air Force (Feb 12, 2011 at Unknown) Colorado State vs. Air Force. SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot ------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 2 1 4 0 - 7 Air Force........... 6 2 1 2 - 11 Colorado State SCORING: GOALS: Fisher, Austin 2; Konkel, Greyson 1; Kehoe, Cooper 1; Fugier, Garrett 1; Smith,Sean 1; Unkrich, Steven 1. ASSISTS: Fisher, Austin 1; Flax, Jake 1. SHOTS BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot ------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 6 5 11 2 - 24 Air Force........... 13 10 7 4 - 34 GROUND BALLS BY PRD 1 2 3 4 Tot ------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 8 2 9 2 - 21 Air Force........... 10 4 7 3 - 24 FACE-OFFS BY PRD 1 2 3 4 Total ---------------------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 3-9 1-3 4-6 1-2 - 9-20 Air Force........... 6-9 2-3 2-6 1-2 - 11-20 CLEARS BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Total ---------------------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 3-3 6-7 7-7 2-3 - 18-20 Air Force........... 4-4 6-7 4-5 3-4 - 17-20 EXTRA-MAN OPPS 1 2 3 4 Total ---------------------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 0-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 - 2-2 Air Force........... 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 - 1-1 SAVES BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 Tot ------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 2 7 2 2 - 13 Air Force........... 2 3 4 1 - 10 TURNOVERS BY PRD 1 2 3 4 Tot ------------------------------------- Colorado State...... 3 6 4 4 - 17 Air Force........... 1 3 4 2 - 10 PENALTIES - Colorado State 1/0:30; Air Force 2/1:00.