March 2, 2005
The Wednesday National Notebook takes a look at college lacrosse being played beyond Division I.
Young Generals Step Up, Shut Down Shoremen
In the final two minutes of play Saturday No. 8 Washington & Lee was holding onto their 7-6 lead over No. 5 Washington College by a thread. The Generals led by as much as 6-2 at halftime, but momentum belonged to the Shoremen.
Not once but twice the Shoremen got a great look at the cage right on the crease only to see 6-foot-2, 220-pound goalie Chris Lalli make two malicious saves to preserve the win. The sophomore keeper made 21 saves in his first collegiate start.
"It was pretty similar to some drills we run. I get a lot work with people on the crease," said Lalli. "I had to play to my advantage and play big."
WC out shot W&L 37-21 and held a 19-7 advantage in the second half.
"We really had our chances. We just didn't finish," said Washington College coach J.B. Clarke.
It was a long day for Washington All-American attackman Jon Spivey, who scored only one goal on 14 shots. The senior captain's goal came early in the first quarter, before the clamps were put on by General sophomore defenseman Peter Goodwin. From there Spivey could only dish out three assists before getting stuffed by Lalli with less than two minutes to play.
"They were forcing me underneath and sliding quickly to me," said Spivey. "Those final two minutes were tough. We had the opportunity. The goalie made some big saves."
Not many people knew what to expect from this young General team, especially on defense where they graduated All-American goalie Ansel Sanders. The performance turned in by Lalli, Goodwin, sophomore Charlie McCombs and senior Eric Koch made a difference in this nonconference Top 10 match-up.
The Generals jumped out to an early 3-1 first quarter lead as freshman Ned Rider (2 goals, 2 assists) scored his first two collegiate goals of his career. The W&L lead later doubled to 6-2 at halftime leaving the WC coaches wondering what happened to their defense.
"Our goal today, defensively, was to hold them to six goals," said Clarke.
He probably didn't intend for all six to come in the first half.
"The defense can not be looking around trying to figure out why we are not scoring goals," said Clarke. "If we score six they better darn well hold them to five."
The W&L defense survived a 4-1 second half run by the Shoremen to preserve this huge season-opening victory on the road.
"You saw two young teams play hard for four quarters and make a lot of mistakes," said Washington & Lee coach Mike Cerino. "I think we were able to hold on a little bit longer."
Built Ram Tough
The Colorado State University Rams are off to another great start in the US Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates Division A with an unblemished 5-0 mark. The Rams, three-time IA national champions, stepped out of their division to face in-state rival Colorado College, which is Division III, on the road last weekend. The Rams jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back as they dropped the Tigers 14-11. CSU was led by Shay Cunningham and Pat Bird, who scored four goals apiece. The Rams no doubt have their sights set on Carson, Calif. where in two weeks, March 12, they will face top-ranked and defending national champion UC-Santa Barbara. CSU lost to the Gauchos 8-7 last season in the title game.
Line of the Week
34 saves
Tom Bowers - Freshman Goalie
Montclair State University
Bowers made his collegiate debut against No. 14 Whittier and stopped 34 of the Poets' 54 shots. Whittier ended up pulling out a 12-9 victory but the Red Hawks have to be pretty excited about Bowers in between the pipes.
From the Sidelines
It was a slow weekend for Division III women's lacrosse action. No. 11 St. Mary's (Md.) survived a close call against No. 20 Washington & Lee on the road squeaking out an 8-7 victory. ... Lynchburg senior attackman Billy McCulloch factored in nine of the Horents' 11 goals as they defeated Ohio Wesleyan 11-3 for the first time since 1999. The loss snaps OWU's five-game winning streak against No. 12 Lynchburg. ... In Division II, it was a narrow season opening loss for the No. 2 C.W. Post women's team, which lost on the road against Stony Brook (Division I) over the weekend 13-9. ... It was a solid sweep for the Notre Dame de Namur men's program, which took down St. Andrew's and Mars Hill in back-to-back days on its annual trip to the Carolinas.
