(from a Great Falls press release)

MISSOULA, Mont. – What a difference a day makes. After a thoroughly disappointing performance against the University of Montana the day before, Argo lacrosse pulled off unequivocally the biggest win in program history, upsetting No. 8 Montana State 9-8 in the fourth annual Copper Cup.

The win is the first ever for UGF against a ranked opponent, the first in a Copper Cup game, and the first against Montana State.

"It was a huge win. This team has come a long way," Great Falls coach Fred Boekel said. "I told them I'm going to let them celebrate this one for more than a day. I'm going to give them a couple of days. It's a great win, but there's so much more to accomplish."

Coming off a 14-5 loss to the Griz the previous day, and facing a daunting foe, the expectations were low for the Argos. That may have helped the team, taking off the pressure that seemed to burden the team against Montana.

Instead, UGF started the game relaxed and composed. The first quarter didn't bring much in terms of goals, with each team scoring once, but the Argo's learned two things that built immeasurably important confidence.

The first thing the first quarter proved was that the Argos could move and possess the ball against the Bobcats without turning it over. That led to almost no transition opportunities for MSU, and the second lesson of the period – when play was settled the UGF defense could shut down one of the more explosive offenses in the country.

"We slid very well on defense, but biggest thing was that we made them play settled offense against us," Boekel said. "And I'm pretty confident in our defense when we're playing a settled offense."

Confidence turned into results in the second period. UGF dominated the Bobcats, in just about every way, outscoring MSU 5-0 in the quarter.

Senior middie Al Williams, the first recruit to sign with Argo lacrosse when the program started in 2013, made it clear that he wanted a win over one of UGF's two instate rivals before his college career ended.

Williams scored the team's only first quarter goal on an unassisted effort and then took part in 2 of the team's next 3 goals. After junior Josh Smith scored his first of 3 goal in the game, Williams again beat the MSU keeper on an unassisted goal and then assisted freshman Mike Davis to make the score 4-1.
Smith scored again followed by sophomore midfielder Joshua Gavin on a post-faceoff break to give the Argos a stunning 6-1 lead heading into halftime.

Montana State refused to go down without a fight, winning the third quarter 5-2 and then narrowing the gap to 1 goal by drawing first blood in the fourth quarter.

Up to that point, UGF's points leader was kept off the scoresheet. While sophomore defender Chase Clark was an integral part of the team's stellar defensive effort, the action on that side of the field kept him away from the action in the attacking third.

With his team desperate for a goal to stop the Bobcat momentum, the NCAA Division I transfer received a pass from senior McKinley Ridenour and scored to make the score 9-7.

The Argos held that lead for a while but with around 1:30 left in the game, MSU scored again and won the ensuing faceoff with a chance to send the game into overtime. With 30 second left and UGF down a man due to a penalty, the Bobcats made their move and sophomore goalkeeper Joshua Smith came up with a critical save.

"I think everyone was just holding their breath," Boekel said. "Jeremy made a big save in the last 30 seconds, we got the ball to the other end, and just watching everybody explode onto the field was just classic. It was awesome."

Smith and Williams tide for a team lead in points with Smith scoring 3 goals and Williams score 2 goals with 1 assists.

Ridenour, another senior who, like Williams, has been with the program through some difficult introductory seasons, also showed a fire to get a Copper Cup win before his time as an Argo ran out. The versatile defender turned midfielder assisted on each of the team's last 2 goals, each of which stemmed the tide of a would be Bobcat comeback.

Not only is the win historic for the many firsts it brings to the Argo program, it also gives UGF five wins on the year, a new program record. The team's season record now stands at 5-2 with four games left to play.

The next two games will be the biggest, with both counting as the final two PNCLL games of the year for UGF. How the Argos fair in the two home games against Western Washington and Puget Sound will determine if UGF will make the league playoffs for the first time in program history.

The first of those games will be Western Washington on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m. on Argo Field.