NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. -- Junior attackman Ben Towner registered a game-high seven points on six goals and one assist to lead No. 5 Simon Fraser to a decisive 18-1 victory over Boise State in an MCLA Division I game Saturday night.
Junior middie Russell Thomas scored four goals, junior attackman Adam Foss added four points on one goal and three assists and junior middie Shawn Donahue scored two goals to help Simon Fraser (1-0) win its season opener.
Junior middie Kevin Riley scored two goals, and sophomore attackman Chris Tessarolo had a goal and an assist for the Clansmen, who outshot Boise State 57-10. Freshman middie Rick Bezuidenhout and sophomore middie Bryan Scott both scored single goals, and senior middie Jeff Matheson and sophomore middie Ben Davies each had an assist.
Towner and Foss made a deadly scoring combination throughout the first half. While Foss dished, Towner continued to find openings by cutting the cage and capitalized on his scoring opportunities.
“It was what we expected,” Towner said. “We were a bit rusty, but it was a good way to start the year.”
In defeat, senior goalie Shawn Carman saved 24 shots for Boise State (0-1), which lost its season opener. Senior attackman Teddy Hicks scored the Broncos’ only goal, and senior middie Pat McIntyre dished the assist.
Boise State freshman long-stick middie Josh Rude picked up eight ground balls.
Simon Fraser scored first just 1:08 in on a goal by Thomas, and the Clansmen led the rest of the game. Simon Fraser eventually led 12-0, a game-opening run that was capped with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Boise State finally scored its first goal of the season when Hicks took a feed from McIntyre and fired home a shot from point-blank range on a man-up opportunity with 12:45 to play in the fourth quarter. But Simon Fraser scored the game’s final six goals to win going away.
“I thought we did well in our season opener,” Carman said. “We were ready, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. At the end of the day, we just got outplayed.”
No. 5 Simon Fraser opens season with 18-1 win over Boise State
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE By William Howard, SFU Lacrosse Media Relations Simon Fraser University Lacrosse
Event: Men's Lacrosse Site: Mercer Stadium, New Westminster, BC Score: No. 5 Simon Fraser University 18, Boise State 1 Record: SFU (1-0, 1-0 PNCLL), Boise State (0-1, 0-1 PNCLL) Next SFU Game: Saturday, February 14, 2009, 7:30pm PST - vs. Washington State University – New Westminster, BC (Mercer Stadium)
Burnaby, BC (February 10, 2009) – The No. 5 Simon Fraser men's lacrosse team built on a 5-0 first quarter lead to defeat the Boise State Broncos 18-1 in both team’s first game of the 2009 season. The Clan were led by junior attack Ben Towner (Port Coquitlam, BC / Terry Fox Secondary) with 7 points on 6 goals and 1 assist and junior midfield Russel Thomas (Nanoose Bay, BC / Ballenas Secondary) with 4 goals. The victory marked the Clan's fifth consecutive win in five season openers under current Co-Head Coaches Jeff Cathrea & Brent Hoskins.
The Clan would control the match-up from the games opening whistle, scoring 8 goals and registering 27 shots in the first half. Fraser would hold the Broncos to a single shot over 2 quarters while Boise State senior goaltender Shawn Carmen would make several spectacular saves to keep the score within single digits for a halftime score of 8-0.
Refusing to give-up, the Broncos would continue their inspired play to start the second half, finally getting on the score board to make the game 8-1. BSU would put 6 more shots on net over the game’s final two quarters but Clan junior Mike Ripley (Saskatoon, SK / E.D. Feehan High School), making his first collegiate start in goal, would close the door the rest of the way. Fraser would utilize their depth in the 3RD and 4th quarters, scoring the games final 10 goals and registering another 30 shots on net, on route to an 18-1 win.
NOTES - Eleven SFU players registered points: Towner 6g, 1a; Thomas 4g; Adam Foss (Cochrane, AB / Cochrane High School) 1g, 3a; Shawn Donahue (Kamloops, BC / South Kamloops Secondary) 2g; Chris Tessarolo (New Westminster, BC / New Westminster Secondary) 1g, 1a; Rick Bezuidenhout (Campbell River, BC / Timberline Secondary) 1g; Kevin Riley (Coquitlam, BC / Gleneagle Secondary) 1g; Bryan Scott (Guelph, ON / John F. Ross) 1g; Ben Davies (New Westminster, BC / New Westminster Secondary) 1a; Ben Johnson (Calgary, AB / Berkshire Preparatory) 1a; Jeff Matheson (Port Moody, BC / Gleneagle Secondary) 1a. - The Clan's starting line-up for 2009 featured 5 sophomores, 4 juniors and 1 senior. 3 freshmen registered their first collegiate minutes. - Ripley made his first collegiate start in goal, making 7 saves for the win. - Freshman Bezuidenhout (1g) scored his first collegiate point. - SFU won 10 of 19 face-offs. Junior Ben Johnson went 8-9, while freshman Ryan Hodge (San Antonio, Texas / Texas Military Institute) went 2-0 in relief, winning the first two face-offs of his collegiate career. - SFU registered 47 ground balls. Johnson and Manning lead the way for the Clan with 6 ground balls each. - The Clan extended their home winning streak to 10 games dating back to April 1, 2006.
QUOTES SFU Co-Head Coach Brent Hoskins On Boise State: "Despite the one sided score, the Broncos refused to give-up and Coach Sanderson kept his team competing hard for all 4 quarters. Once again, Carmen played outstanding tonight and showed why he is one of the top goaltenders in the MCLA."
SFU Co-Head Coach Jeff Cathrea On Simon Fraser: "Our athletes have worked incredibly hard to prepare for the start of the season. We executed our systems well tonight and will look to build on each win."
Simon Fraser men's lacrosse is proudly sponsored by Firstar Sports Inc., Onyx Lacrosse / Riddell Helmets and Gait Lacrosse. For further information on the Clan please visit www.sfulacrosse.com.
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