Lacrosse loses to Boise State 10-5
In conditions that even the greatest optimist would call less than ideal, Utah State University’s men’s club lacrosse team lost to rival Boise State 10-5.
Light snow fell as the game began, and by the end it was a blizzard.
“In conditions like that, it’s a totally different game,” Utah State midfielder Derald Miller said. “To win the game it’s not as much skill as it is heart and hustle.”
USU midfielder Brad Hickenlooper said, “Weather like that, it makes for a good time, a lot of fun.”
Boise State, who was undefeated in Division II play going into Saturday’s contest, never trailed the Aggies.
After falling to an early 3-0 deficit, the Aggies fought back and tied the game on goals from Tyler Berkey, Thad Nicholls and Derald Miller. However, the Broncos regained their earlier form near the end of the half and took a 5-3 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the white ball was replaced with an orange one so it could be seen on the snow-covered field.
The Aggies kept the game close throughout the third quarter. A goal from Brock Miller brought the score to 5-4. Boise scored two more goals, but before the quarter was over Thad Nicholls scored his second goal of the game to make the score 7-5.
The fourth quarter began with a discussion between the coaches and referees about whether the game should be canceled or not, but they played on.
The fourth quarter was all Boise State. They scored three more goals to bring the final score to 10-5.
The Aggies will play in the Division II tournament Saturday. Boise State, who finished the season with a perfect record within the division, is the heavy favorite going in.
Both Derald Miller and Hickenlooper agreed the key to beating the Broncos would be to settle the offense down.
“We can’t force things. We didn’t take the ball inside as much as we need to but I’m looking forward to next week, I know we can beat these guys,” Miller said.
The Division II tournament will be in Orem Friday and Saturday.
The women’s lacrosse team was also busy this weekend playing at the University of Utah in an eight-team tournament with teams from Utah and Colorado.
In their first game the Aggies played against the University of Northern Colorado. Utah State was never able to get the offense started in the game, though, and lost 6-0.
Center Kelsy Schneiter said they started slowly.
“Right as we were beginning to step it up, the game ended,” Schneiter said. “Needless to say we didn’t play our best game.”
The highlight of the afternoon for the Aggies came in the second game as they played against one of the two teams from the University of Colorado.
“Everything seemed to click,” Schneiter said. “The defense was flawless, and the offense, despite a few bad calls, played their hearts out.”
Coach Kevin TenEyck said one of the key plays of the game came from Lindsay Hawkins with the score tied 3-3. Hawkins took a pass from goalie Amy Trickler and took it end-to-end for the score. After that, the Aggies scored three more goals to the Buffaloes one for a final score of 7-4.
The Aggies believe that wins like they had against Colorado is what they need to establish Utah State’s program as a strong one.
“We really came out with one of our best performances yet,” Schneiter said. “We’re beginning to be seen as a threat by our in-state rivals and are building the confidence we need to start winning big games.”
TenEyck said, “When we play like we did against Colorado, we can beat any team in our league. The key is just making sure that we can do that.”
The women’s team has one more game this season. It will be played at home on Saturday.