UMD Falls to Reigning National Champs

By UMD Lacrosse Media Relations

The rematch against 2011 National Champs BYU

(Duluth, MN --- March 19, 2012) Rounding out an extremely competitive out-of-conference trip that started in California, the Bulldogs headed into the highly anticipated rematch against #3 Brigham Young University, the 2011 National Champions, on Saturday, March 17 in Minneapolis.
“In the past, we have had some very competitive match-ups and we didn’t expect this to be any different. They are well coached and play a very competitive schedule,” said head coach Frank Clark.

The first quarter started out a little rough for the Bulldogs with captain Matt Madden (#17, Rochester, MN) taking an early penalty for holding. Not too long after, BYU was able to secure its first goal by player Drew Shumway (#2). UMD captain Drake Peterson (#15, Terrence Park, Ohio) also received a penalty for pushing in the first quarter. The string of penalties opened the door for BYU to score yet again, this time by Ted Ferrin (#4), putting them ahead of the Bulldogs 2-0.

Though it started out rough, the Bulldogs were ready to answer when Kevin Gaydos (#6, Centenniel HS, MN) passed to Alex McNamara (#10, Apple Valley, MN), who put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. The first quarter soon turned into a rally of shots from each side. BYU ‘s Corey Gunderson (#17) scored a third goal, but the Bulldogs’ Peterson (#15) answered back on a face-off fast break pass from Justin Vossen (#18, Apple Valley, MN) and put the Bulldogs down by a point, making the score 3-2 at the end of the first quarter.

BYU came on strong in the second quarter which left UMD senior captain Joey Slattery (#25) facing a series of shots . BYU’s Ted Ferrin (#4) was able to get a shot past him, putting them up 4-2. Slattery continued to be a force to be reckoned with at the net, keeping BYU from scoring again until 6:01 remained in the quarter. BYU’s Houghton (#1) would score to widen the gap to 5-2. The Bulldogs continued to rally and an opportunity arose after McNamara (#10) drew a slide dodging from behind and passed to Vossen (#18) on the crease for the goal. BYU saw themselves in a mishmash of penalties for slashing and holding with 3:55 left in the quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 2 man-up advantage. Ben Blaeser (#3, Champlin, MN) took the chance and capitalized on the moment, taking a pass from McNamara (#10) and putting the Bulldogs up another point, making the score 5-4. The Bulldogs secured another goal with: 37 seconds left on the clock. This put both teams on an even par with a tied score of 5-5 at the end of the first half.  “We are in a competitive game, it’s what we expected” said head coach Frank Clark at the half.

BYU saw their second half start out a little rougher than the original start of the game, receiving a 30-second penalty for pushing. At 12:09 BYU’s Ferrin ( #4) scored the first point of the second half. BYU’s Ferrin (#4) continued to have a hot streak, scoring again when the clock read 10:06. Ferrin then found himself in the penalty for being offside. Both UMD players Gaydos (#6) and Matt Murphy (#21, Eden Prairie, MN) took the chance of charging the BYU net, and both walked away with another goal scored for their team, putting the score at 7-6. It was in the latter half of the third quarter when BYU set off on a 4-goal streak, putting them ahead of the Bulldogs 11-7 by the quarter’s end.

BYU continued with their hot streak into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs kept fighting until the very end of the quarter with McNamara (#10) scoring with: 02 seconds left of the match putting the final score at 16-8.

“BYU is an incredibly talented team, we made some mistakes and they capitalized” said Clark.
Currently, BYU stands with a divisional record of 1-0 and an overall record of 8-1.

The Bulldogs still hold an undefeated record in the UMLC at 4-0, and their overall record now holds at 4-4.

Next up, the #15 Bulldogs hit the road again, but this time to Arizona to take on #8 Arizona State University on Friday, March 23 and #19 Colorado on Sunday, March 25.

Keep up to date with the Bulldogs’ season by checking out umdlacrosse.com and following the team on Twitter @Duluthlacrosse.