Photo Courtesy of ASC Sports Information Desk: Anthony Willner takes a face off for the Grizzlies.
Scott Kretzmann
ASC Sports
Information Director
Thursday night saw the ASC men host Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (WILA) rival Dominican (Calif.) for the first ever lacrosse game to be played at Rex Stadium, but the Penguins came out hot and used a 7-goal third quarter to pull away from the Grizzlies to claim a 17-4 victory.
The Grizzlies fall to 3-3 in the WILA and 4-5 overall with the loss, their second straight. Dominican, which entered the game tied for the league lead with Colorado Mesa will take a ½ game lead in the standings into a Saturday match-up against the Mavs in Grand Junction.
ASC entered the half trailing by five goals, 2-7, but that deficit quickly increased as the Penguins needs just 16 seconds into the start of third quarter to add to their lead. Less than three minutes later Dalton Copeland connected with Cam Evangelho to put DU up on top 9-2, and recording one of 13 assists in the contest for the Penguins.
Grizzly sophomore Bryden Pelletier (Lantzville, B.C.) cut into the lead with the lone ASC strike of the third, assisted by redshirt-freshman Jamison Bobo (Petaluma, Calif.), but five more Dominican shots would find the back of the net and the visitors would start the final period ahead 14-3.
Adams State was unable to keep pace with the Penguins. The Grizzlies tallied just one goal in each quarter while DU scored at least three times in each frame.
Pelletier scored twice, including in the second quarter which brought ASC to within 2-4 of Dominican with 4:33 left before intermission. That goal was assisted by sophomore Anthony Damico (Littleton, Colo.). The two scores for Pelletier raised his season total to a team-best 13.
Also finding the net for the Grizzlies were redshirt-freshman Omar Horani (Tigard, Ore.) in the first quarter and freshman Parker Smith (Centennial, Colo.) with 6:24 left in the fourth.
Kevin Powers led the DU goal scoring charge with four goals and another pair of assists, while Evangelho seven points in the game thanks to three goals and four assists were the most points in the game. Jake Bernstein also found the net three times for the Penguins Thursday.
DU keepers Sean Donohue and Ryan Williams combined to make 13 saves in the game, while Grizzly goalies freshman Mitch Harned (Salt Lake City, Utah) and redshirt-freshman Ronnie Fernando (Lake Forest, Calif.) combined for seven stops. Harned got the start in net Thursday, the first of his career, and suffered the loss after allowing seven goals in the first half.
The Grizzlies will next be in action in 12 days, when they travel to St. Charles, Mo., for three games in four days. There, ASC will face Shorter (Ga.) on April 17, the WILA’s Lindenwood (Mo.) on April 19 and Wheeling Jesuit (W. Va.) on April 20.
ASC’s match-up with Lindenwood will be the second of the season, as the Lions claimed a 12-9 victory at ASC Lacrosse Field on March 25.
What’s Been Said…