Lacrosse pleased with Brawl
Coming into Friday and Saturday’s lacrosse tournament, Paul Larkin, president of the Utah State University men’s lacrosse club, said he was anxious to see where his team stood in preparation for the upcoming spring season.
While the Aggies went 1-2 at the fifth annual Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (RMILL) Fall Brawl held at the HPER fields, Larkin and club treasurer Braden Jenkins were happy with the potential the team showed.
“I was really excited about how we played,” Larkin said. “We meshed together better than we have in the past.”
“I think with this being our first three games we played some great lacrosse,” Jenkins said.
For the tournament, the Aggies defeated Tenacious D, a Salt Lake City based club team 5-4 on Saturday, before losing to Fort Lewis College, 10-8, in the third place game. USU dropped its tournament opener to Colorado State University, 12-3, on Friday.
USU quickly discovered what it’s like to play the best in the country when it took on the Rams Friday afternoon. CSU captured the United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Association national championship last year and they also won in 1999.
After falling behind 9-1 at halftime, the Aggies settled down in the second half, holding their own against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation as the Aggies were only outscored 3-2 in the second half.
The Aggies would rebound, outlasting Tenacious D in a defensive battle in which they showed great mental toughness, Jenkins said.
“We were more prepared [mentally] because we knew with the CSU game we could have played a lot better,” he said. “I think our mindset helped us through the game.”
Among the players who elevated their level of play on the defensive side was defenseman Nathan Daniels.
“On the defensive side, Nathan Daniels played extremely well,” Jenkins said.
Larkin, an attacker, paced the Aggie offense with two goals on isolation plays.
“That was a big win for us because it allowed us to play Fort Lewis,” Larkin said.
Like the Rams, Fort Lewis is a Division I team in the RMILL, while USU is a Division II team. Playing a team in a higher division didn’t seem to faze the Aggies, though.
Jenkins said the Sky Hawks came into the match thinking they were going to roll over the Aggies, but soon realized they were in for a dogfight.
“They play a really physical game and I think they thought they were going to push us around, but I think we answered the call,” Larkin said.
The Aggies took an early lead before Fort Lewis strung together a few of their own to take the lead back, Larkin said.
USU refused to give in, dictating play toward the end of the game. Larkin said the Aggies might have won had the game been five minutes longer.
Despite the loss, both Larkin and Jenkins said playing a game like the Fort Lewis one gave the Aggies the confidence they need to compete for the RMILL Division II title come springtime.
“I think we have a chance to win our division if we continue to work hard,” Larkin said.