CSU Pummels Rival Colorado In Rocky Mountain Showdown

Nick Salen; Public Relations, CU Lacrosse

BOULDER, Colo.—One of the worst weeks in memory for the Colorado men’s lacrosse team ended late Saturday night as the Buffaloes fell 13-6 to arch rival Colorado State. The Rams scored one minute into the contest and never looked back, maintaining the lead throughout the game.

With the win, Colorado State reclaims the Rocky Mountain Showdown title, which they lost to Colorado for the first time last year. The Rams maintain their perfect record and add another loss to CU’s column in the conference. CSU now returns home for a three-game homestand against No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (April 9), No. 1 Michigan (April 11) and No. 8 Michigan State (April 18), all of whom Colorado will also be playing in the coming weeks, beginning with the Wolverines April 9.

The Buffs’ losing streak continues, but on a positive note, the team seems to be heading in the right direction in the new system installed by new head coach Mike Ryder. Colorado had only a few days of practice to learn the new playbook, but that was not a reason for concern Saturday night. The Buffaloes were outmatched in the ground ball game and when shots were delivered on cage, senior CSU goaltender Alex Jacques was there to rob Colorado time and time again.

Like most of the Rams’ games, the majority of CSU’s goals came from its attack, which found holes in CU’s defense early and frequently. Alongside Jacques, the attack played a major role in the CSU victory, with Cooper Kehoe and Garrett Fugier tallying two goals each. Doug Lilburne led Colorado’s offense once again, netting three goals of his own. Colorado longstick midfielder Hap Knowles also scored twice.

For the Buffs, it’s back to practicing Ryder’s playbook and developing chemistry with the new coach before next weekend’s matchups. CU will be looking to avenge last season’s MCLA national semifinal loss to Michigan when it takes on the Wolverines April 9.