Bulldogs top St. Cloud State 15-3

The UMD Bulldogs traveled to St. Cloud to take on the St. Cloud State Huskies in a UMLL battle Saturday March 3 and came away with a convincing 15-3 win. With the win, the Bulldogs are now 4-0 in the early season.

Bulldogs leading scorer Sr. Kevin Gaydos

The Bulldogs were led by attackman Kevin Gaydos who scored 3 goals and added 1 assist. Alex McNamara added 2 goals and an assist while Drake Peterson and Neal Pester each scored 2 goals, Ben Blaeser, Justin Vossen and Matt Murphy each added a goal and an assist and Ryan Butts, Tyler Lorinser, and Matt Madden each added a goal. Midfielder Nathan Monsein was stellar at the faceoff X winning 16 of 18 faceoffs while also leading the team with 6 ground balls. Joey Slattery led the UMD goalies with 9 saves.

2011 National Champion BYU

UMD now starts a brutal west coast road trip where they will face a string of top ranked MCLA lacrosse teams. Next week they travel to California to take on the nations #2 ranked team Cal Poly on March 10, #4 ranked Chapman University on March 12 and #11 ranked UC-Santa Barbara on March 14. The Bulldogs then return to Minnesota on March 17 where they will take on last seasons national champion and #3 ranked BYU at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. To round out this rugged schedule of highly ranked teams, UMD will then travel west again to take on #9 ranked Arizona State University on March 23 and #10 University of Colorado on March 25 in Tempe, AZ. Following this stern test, UMD should have a much clearer picture of their 2012 national title chances. UMD is ranked #15 in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse Magazine coaches poll.

Bulldogs Beat Gophers in Thriller

The University of Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs lacrosse team visited the University of Minnesota Gophers and came from behind late in the game to pull off a thrilling victory over their in-state UMLL rival.

UMD started the scoring early taking a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Drake Peterson and Alex McNamara.  Following a Minnesota score, Stanley Drutowski tallied his first goal of the season to make the score 3-1 UMD at the end of the first period.  Peterson opened the second quarter with a goal and UMD was up 4-1.  Following another Minnesota goal, Matt Murphy scored to give the 'Dogs a 5-2 lead.  After Murphy's goal, it was all Minnesota, with the Gophers putting in 5 unanswered goals to take a 7-5 halftime lead.

With the Gophers up 7-5 and momentum clearly in their favor, the Bulldogs would have to answer quickly.  McNamara would close the gap to 1 with his second goal of the game, but the Gophers would answer right away to maintain a two goal lead at 8-6.  The Gophers would score again to take a 9-6 lead into the final quarter and it looked like the upset was on.

The Bulldogs, however would have something to say about that and they came out firing on all cylinders.  Kevin Gaydos would open the scoring for the Bulldogs in the 4th quarter and the rally was on - 9-7 Gophers.  McNamara would follow with his 3rd goal of the game - 9-8.  After that, it was all Bulldogs and they would go on to score 5 unanswered goals of their own to win the game 11-9 and outscore the Gophers 5-0 in the final period.  The 'Dogs defense would step up in the final quarter to shut down a Gophers offense that was on fire in the second and third quarters.

The Bulldogs were led by McNamara with his 3 goals.  Gaydos tallied 2 goals and an assist while Drutowski, Peterson and Murphy would each score 2 goals.  Ben Blaeser and Ryan Butts each added an assist.

This exciting game sets the stage for a likely UMLL championship showdown between these two teams.  It's apparent that the Bulldogs and Gophers will be the cream of the UMLL crop again in 2012.

The Bulldogs next take on the St. Cloud State Huskies at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud, MN next Saturday March 3.

Next Up: Bulldogs vs. Gophers

Next Up: Bulldogs vs. Gophers

Duluth, MN – The rivalry is set to continue this upcoming weekend.

After a strong start to the 2012 season, the UMD Bulldogs now look ahead to their next game against the University of Minnesota Gophers.

“Though we beat the Gophers in the UMLC championship game last year, the loss to them at home (in Duluth) still leaves a very sour taste in our mouths. It’s a feeling we will surely not forget entering Saturday’s game,” said senior captain #17 Matt Madden.

These two teams matched up twice in the 2011 lacrosse season, and it’s sure to be a battle to the finish between the Bulldogs and the Gophers.

“There’s always a rivalry between these two teams. If there’s one thing I can say about the Gophers, it’s they always come ready to compete and give our guys a challenge,” said head coach Frank Clark.


During the regular season, the Gophers edged out the Bulldogs 8-7 in overtime on Bulldog territory. But when they played again in the 2011 UMLC playoffs, the Bulldogs reigned superior with a final score of 11-6.

“This is one game everybody marks on their calendars. I have no doubt it will be a great afternoon of lacrosse from both teams,” said Clark.

In 2011, the Gophers finished their season with a divisional UMLC record of 4-1, and an overall record of 6-6. The Golden Gophers made it to the second round of the 2011 UMLC playoffs, but saw their season end when they matched up against the Bulldogs and lost.

“We need to jump on every opportunity and get things going in our favor early like the past weekend’s match-ups will be key,” said Clark.

The rivalry match-up will take place on Saturday, February 25 at the University of Minnesota Bubble Stadium in Minneapolis. The game starts at noon.

“Preparation, focus and execution will be the keys for us to be successful this weekend. It should be a very exciting game,” said Sam Litman, the Bulldogs assistant head coach.

Make sure to keep up with the Bulldogs by visiting umdlacrosse.com, and catch all the details of every game by following @Duluthlacrosse on Twitter.

Bulldogs Open Season with Two Big Wins

The University of Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs mens lacrosse team opened the 2012 MCLA lacrosse season with two big victories this weekend over Upper Midwest Lacrosse League (UMLL) conference foes.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs took on the Marquette University club lacrosse team at the Vadnais Dome in White Bear Lake, MN and defeated them handily, 17-3.  Drake Peterson opened the scoring for the Bulldogs, putting in the first goal of the season on a feed from Alex McNamara.  It would be all Bulldogs after that.  Peterson led the 'dogs with 5 goals and an assist.  Kevin Gaydos added 4 goals and an assist while McNamara was the feeder, contributing 4 assists and tallying one goal.  Matt Murphy and Neal Pester added two goals, while Shayne Thomas added a goal and an assist, and Julian Chamleunsouk and Tyler Lorinser added a goal apiece.  Ben Blaeser, Matt Madden and Justin Vossen each added an assist.  Goalies Joey Slattery, Alex Libera, Jared Klapperich and Andrew Blaeser all shared time in goal giving up only 3 goals.

The Bulldogs faced Iowa State in the second game on Sunday.  This game was even more lopsided than the first as the Bulldogs crushed the Cyclones 23-3.  Kevin Gaydos started the scoring marathon with the first 3 goals of the game.  Gaydos would lead all scorers with 6 goals on the day.  Alex McNamara put in 4 goals and added an assist while Tyler Lorinser also chipped in with 4 goals.  Neal Pester was the primary assist man contributing 4 assists and also adding a goal.  Matt Murphy scored 2 goals and added 2 assists while Justin Vossen and Shayne Thomas each added a goal and had 2 assists.  Drake Peterson scored 1 goal and added 1 assist and Ben Blaeser, Matt Madden, and Stanley Drutowski each added a goal.  Once again, the goalies shared time in goal giving up only 3 goals. 

It was a solid opening weekend for the Bulldogs.  Next Saturday the Bulldogs take on in-state rival University of Minnesota in a re-match of the UMLL title game from a year ago.  The game will be played at the University of Minnesota sports bubble and might be the most important early season UMLL test the 'dogs have had in recent years.  Next weeks game should be a great indicator of who has the inside track for the UMLL title in 2012.

Bulldogs Getting Ready for 2012 Season

From Bulldogs Lacrosse website:

Duluth, MN -- After finishing the 2011 regular season with a 7-8 record (4-1 in the UMLC conference) and winning their 14th UMLC title, making their 10th appearance in the MLCA tournament, the University of Minnesota-Duluth men's lacrosse team will take it to the road once again for another highly competitive season.

The 2012 Bulldog schedule includes five UMLC in-conference match-ups and seven out of state non-conference teams. The out of conference game matches the Bulldogs against seven teams who also took part in the 2011 national tournament. In the preseaon rankings, the Bulldogs are currently ranked at #15.

"This schedule is a high-level schedule. Not only will we get to see some great out of conference competition, but we are also looking forward to another season of great UMLC lacrosse," said the Bulldogs Head Coach Frank Clark.

The University of Minnesota Duluth opens their regular season with UMLC conference match-ups before heading west to California. The season officially starts on February 18th against Marquette University at Vandais Sports Center and taking on Iowa State Univeristy on February 19th.

The following weekend on February 25th, the Bulldogs will face off against the Unversity of Minnesota. In 2011, the teams met twice. It was a close match-up in last year's regular season game with the Bulldogs losing 8-7 in overtime to the Gophers. The Bulldogs returned the favor with a decisive 11-6 victory in the UMLC Championship game.

The Bulldogs will make a repeat trip to the Husky Dome against St. Cloud State University on March 3rd. In the 2011 season, the Bulldogs beat the Huskies 24-4.

Next, the Bulldogs find themselves on the road to California for three matches starting on March 10th. First, they'll play against Cal Poly (#7), followed by Chapman University (#3), and then University of California Santa Barbara (#12).

Matt Madden, Sr. Midfielder

March 17 will pit the Bulldogs against defending National Champion Bringham Young University (#1) for what is to be an intense rematch after the 2011 season where the Bulldogs lost to BYU in Provo 11-10.

Their travels will continue on in March when the Bulldogs find themselves in Arizona to match up against Arizona State University (#2) on March 23, and then University of Colorado (#11) on March 25th.

Coach Clark commented "March will no doubt be a challenge, but one we are looking forward to."

On April 1st, the Bulldogs will be back in Minnesota, but this time in the Twin Cities, as they face off against Mankato State University.

The Bulldogs will round off their regular season with a home game in Duluth, Minn., on home turf against the University of Illinois on April 15th.

Bulldogs Lose Shocker to Gophers; Beat Sonoma State

The UMD Bulldogs will now have to win the UMLL Conference tournament for a chance to play in the MCLA National Championship Tournament in Denver after losing in overtime to conference rival University of Minnesota on April 15, 8-7.  It was a miserable night for lacrosse at Griggs Stadium in Duluth with high winds and frigid temperatures.  UMD dropped another close game, losing by 1 goal in overtime to an improving University of Minnesota team.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs found a little redemption, beating a solid Sonoma State (6-6) team 8-2.  The Bulldogs finish the regular season with a disappointing 5-7 record.

UMD will enter the April 29-May 1 UMLL tournament as the #2 seed.  Their first tournament game will be April 30 at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of the St. Cloud State/MSU-Mankato game.  The UMLL championship game will take place on Sunday May 1 at 4:30 p.m.

Bulldogs Drop Two More Heartbreakers to Ranked Opponents

The UMD Bulldogs can't buy a win against a solid, ranked opponent in 2011.  On Friday night, UMD dropped a close one to #17 Illinois 9-7, and on Saturday they lost to #6 Michigan State in another 2 point loss, 10-8.  While both were two point losses, the games couldn't have been more different.

Junior Midfielder Matt Madden

On Friday night, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 4-1 lead behind goals from Drake Peterson, Andrew Straus, Matt Madden and Spencer Balfanz.  They then allowed the Illini to battle back to tie the game 4-4.  From that point it appeared the Bulldogs were again taking the game back behind three unanswered goals by Alex McNamara, Pat Struzyk and Madden's second goal of the game.

Instead, the Illini took the game by the throat from that point and it appeared the Bulldogs could do nothing to stop them.  The game ended with 5 unanswered Illinois goals and a final 9-7 loss for UMD in a game that appeared to favor UMD through the first 3 periods.

Saturday's game couldn't have started any differently.  Saturday saw the #6 ranked Spartans jump out to an 8-3 lead.  Michigan State led 9-4 early in the 4th quarter when the Bulldogs stormed back behind goals from Matt Madden, Bobby Moore and Alex McNamara to close the game to one at 9-8.  From there, the Bulldogs could get no closer and the Spartans tacked on one more insurance goal to ensure the 10-8 victory.

UMD will need to secure the UMLL conference title to gain the automatic bid and entry into the MCLA national championship tournament.  Once there, they'll need to find the chemistry to pull out the close wins against the good, ranked teams they'll face in the tournament.  If they don't, they'll be leaving the dance early in 2011.

Bulldogs Continue to Overwhelm UMLL Opponents; Blast St. Cloud State 24-4

Max Thomas-Olson scored 3 goals

The UMD Bulldogs (4-4, 4-0 UMLL) once again overwhelmed a UMLL foe with a balanced attack that included goals from 13 different players.  On Sunday morning, the Bulldogs beat St. Cloud State (1-3, 0-1 UMLL) by a final score of 24-4.

St. Cloud tied the game early in the first quarter 1-1.  After that, it was all Bulldogs as they ran off 11 unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-1 lead early in the 3rd quarter.  Once again, the Bulldogs spread the scoring around with goals from a host of players.  Senior attack Kevin Gaydos and senior midfielder Max Thomas-Olson paced all scorers with 3 goals apiece.  Junior LSM Andrew Straus, freshman attack Ryan Butts, sophomore midfielder Shayne Thomas, junior attack Alex McNamara, and freshman attack Matt Murphy each tallied two goals apiece.  Over the last two games, the Bulldogs have had at least one goal from 18 different players.

Next week the Bulldogs head to Illinois on another tough road trip to take on #17 ranked Illinois on Friday night and #7 ranked Michigan State on Saturday night.  Michigan State is fresh off a solid 12-11 victory over #3 ranked Arizona State.  St. Cloud State takes on UMLL foe Iowa State next Sunday.

Bulldogs Dominate in 16-2 Victory over Iowa State

The UMD Bulldogs (3-4, 3-0 in the UMLL) lacrosse team shook off their 4 game road losing streak and took out any frustrations they may have had on UMLL foe Iowa State Cyclones (0-7, 0-3 in the UMLL) on Saturday at Eden Prairie High School. The Bulldogs dominated play throughout the game and saw 12 different players score at least one goal. Brandon Nispel, Drake Peterson, and Bobby Moore each scored 2 goals apiece.

The 14th ranked UMD Bulldogs face UMLL conference foe St. Cloud State (1-2, 0-0 UMLL) this morning at 8:00 a.m. at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud State Picks Up First Win; UMD Bulldogs Drop Two More

After losing their first two games of the season to the University of Nebraska and the University of Kansas, the St. Cloud State Huskies (1-2) lacrosse team picked up a big win against the Arkansas Razorbacks by an 11-5 score.  Midfielder Evin Haukos and midfielder Max Tarnowski led the Huskies with 4 goals each.  Goalie Curtis Payne made 14 saves in the win.

Out on the West Coast, the UMD Bulldogs (2-4) lost two more heartbreakers to MCLA top 25 teams.  UMD's brutal stretch of road games continued with games against a very tough and highly regarded #18 University of Oregon Ducks and #6 ranked University of Colorado Buffaloes.  UMD came into the weekend ranked #13 in the MCLA.

On Friday, UMD dropped a close one to Oregon 7-6.  Down 6-3 at the end of 3 periods of play, UMD battled back to pull within one goal at 6-5 with 6:00 left in the game.  Oregon picked up a fast break goal to make it 7-5 with 5:00 left.  The Bulldogs pulled within one at 7-6 with 3:00 to play and after putting the ball on goal several times in the closing minutes could not tie the game and took the tough loss.

On Saturday, in a game televised online by CollegeLAX.tv, the Bulldogs took on the Buffaloes in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  Colorado jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Bulldogs could respond with a Brandon Nispel goal to make it 2-1.  Early in the 3rd period, Colorado scored to make it 5-2.  UMD battled back to tie the game 5-5 going into the 4th period behind goals from Max Thomas-Olson, Alex McNamara and Matt Sanocki.  In the 4th period, UMD had trouble controlling the ball and gave up two quick Colorado goals before answering with one of their own, a shot by McNamara to make the score 8-6.  That's as close as the Bulldogs would get and they dropped their 4th of the season 9-6 to a very good Colorado team.

UMD's next game is April 2 against Upper Midwest Lacrosse League rival Iowa State.  St. Cloud State's next game is April 3 against UMD in St. Cloud.

UMD may be looking forward to playing closer to home after road swings to Utah and Oregon.  All four of UMD's losses have come against MCLA top 25 opponents (#3 BYU, #6 Colorado, #12 Utah and #18 Oregon).

UMD Bulldogs Hit the Road

After recording two solid UMLL conference victories to start the season, the UMD Bulldogs lacrosse team hits the road for an important western swing that will provide MCLA lacrosse fans a glimpse of the true nature of this years Bulldog squad.

UMD started the season with a 13-6 victory over UMLL rival Marquette and a convincing 12-3 victory over conference foe Minnesota State University - Mankato the following week.  Senior midfielder Brandon Nispel (Wayzata, MN) led all scorers with 8 goals over the two games while Junior goaltender Joey Slattery (Wayzata, MN) posted a sparkling  76% save percentage.

The Bulldogs now head west for a matchup against 4th ranked BYU (4-0) on March 3rd and a March 5th tilt against 16th ranked University of Utah.  The BYU matchup will provide the Bulldogs with a stern test and a good gauge of what this team can do come May.
 
Bulldog coach Frank Clark had this to say; “BYU is a great team and we are looking forward to the challenge that they will present.  In the past we have had some very competitive match ups and we don’t expect this to be any different. They are well coached and will have played some very good teams already at that point in the season”  Coach Litman had this to say about Utah: “Utah is a very strong program with a lot of talent on both sides of the field. Every time we’ve played against one another it has been a battle. I expect the same from Coach Morris and his team in this game.”

The UMD Bulldogs are currently ranked #8 in the MCLA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.  University of Michigan Wolverines sit atop the MCLA Division I rankings.

UMD Bulldogs Win Big Again

The UMD Bulldogs lacrosse team notched another big victory over UMLL Conference rival Mankato State University Saturday by a 12-3 score. UMD overcame a bit of adversity, coming back from a 3-0 deficit after the 1st quarter to shut out the Mavericks for the remainder of the game and notch 12 unanswered goals.

Brandon Nispel once again led the Bulldogs with 4 goals while Max Thomas-Olson added 3 goals.

The Bulldogs next game kicks off a Western road swing starting with a matchup against BYU on March 4 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT. The Bulldogs are presently ranked #10 in the country by both laxpower.com and MCLA Magazine with a 2-0 record.

Bulldogs Win Season Opener 13-6 Over Marquette

The UMD Bulldogs opened the season with a solid 13-6 win over Marquette University at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN.  The Bulldogs were never really threatened against Marquette, a team moving to NCAA Division I play for the 2012 season, jumping out to a quick 5-1 first quarter lead.  The Bulldogs were held scoreless in the second quarter with Marquette tallying one goal, however they dominated play for the remainder of the game scoring 2 in the third and 6 in the final quarter.  The Bulldogs were led by senior midfielder Brandon Nispel who tallied 4 goals and 1 assist.  Attackman Bobby Moore and Freshman Matt Murphy each added two goals with Spencer Balfanz, Sean Folley, Kevin Gaydos, Drake Peterson, and Mathew Sanocki each adding one goal.  Goalie Joseph Slattery stopped 9 shots while Nick Sigurdson made 2 saves.  The Bulldogs outshot Marquette 30-17.  The Bulldogs face Minnesota State-Mankato next Sunday February 13 at Concordia University.

Bulldogs Open Play this Weekend Versus Marquette University

Upper Midwest Lacrosse League finally gets underway this weekend 

 by Michael Murakami Collegelax.us

UMLL Week 1

Action in the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League finally gets underway this weekend – Saturday, Feb. 5 – and the first game of the season could not come sooner for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and coach Frank Clark.
“I think finally is the right word,” Clark said. “We’re excited to get going. I think the guys and staff are really excited to get into a competitive setting. We’re excited to see another team other than us.”
The Bulldogs will travel down to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and will host Marquette University at Augsburg College in a UMLL conference Division I matchup.
“A goal for us is to win the UMLL Championship,” Clark said. “It’s a conference game and they’re always tough. It’s important to get in there and get after it. Our number one goal is to be successful against conference opponents and this is the first opportunity.”
This opportunity comes after late night practices, inter-team scrimmages and conditioning training.
“Excited would be an understatement,” Clark said. “Every time you put on a game jersey is a privilege. You’re playing for the school and your teammates which excites you. They’re ready to go and to put the pieces together that we’ve been working on.”

Read the full article on Collegelax.us here

UMD Bulldogs Expected to Lead UMLL Again in 2011

In-depth look at UMLL DI and Q&A with Duluth Bulldogs’ new head coach
by Michael Murakami of Collegelax.us

Division I of the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League (UMLL) will feature four first-year head coaches at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (Frank Clark), the University of Minnesota (Joe Cinosky), Marquette University (David Malcolm) and Iowa State University (Brendan Gross).

Perhaps none of these coaches will feel more pressure to succeed than Frank Clark who has big shoes to fill after Rob Graff, former Duluth head coach of 17 years, stepped down last summer.

Although the off-field coaching change will be noticed, Clark is hoping the transition on the field is non-existent.

CollegeLAX recently spoke with Clark about his exciting new position at Duluth, our top-ranked team in Division I of the UMLL.

CollegeLAX: I’m sure you’ve been asked this a million times…What is it like being the head coach at Duluth after the legendary Coach Rob Graff?
Frank Clark: We’re very good friends – even outside of lacrosse. I see him twice a week and we talk a lot. Being the assistant head coach for the past three years and then running my own offense for the last five years, we split a lot of the coaching duties. Rob had that ultimate responsibility to oversee all the assistants but he gave us a lot of responsibility too. (Duluth) has played fall ball games already and we still have our typical demeanor. Quite honestly, this is the fun part of the season.

CL: What game have you already circled this year as the game you’re most excited to see your team play?
FC: There are a lot of different games I’m excited for, for different reasons. Going to Provo (Utah) is always exciting – playing BYU on Friday night. They’re always tough and we like playing them. We also play Utah, Oregon and Colorado. It’s our first road games, first road opponents and it’s our first travel game.

CL: Duluth has captured the UMLL DI title for several years. Playing at the MCLA National Championship Tournament has also been successful but hasn’t led to a championship for the Bulldogs. What are you going to do differently to make sure the Bulldogs have a different fate this year?
FC: We’re going to try to stay healthy. We had one player who played with a seperated shoulder and one who played with a pulled hamstring. We’ve been focusing on off-season training and conditioning. We’re always tweaking things – nothing too complex. We want to put our players in the best situation to succeed.

CL: Give us some predicitions! Who wins the UMLL DII title this year?
FC: St. Thomas. We had a chance to see them this fall. They’re good. Joey (Costello) is good. Their coaches are great. St. John’s is always a team that can surprise though. I like cheering for them too with Derek Daehn there (Daehn is head coach at SJU and a 2005 alum of Duluth). North Dakota looks like they’ll be tough too. With St. Thomas’ past and their talent, I think they’ll take it this year.

CL: Ok, now the tough question/prediction. Who wins the UMLL DI title this year?
FC: The team that wants it the most and works the hardest. We’d love to be that team but there will be a lot of competition.

CL: So based on your predicitions, St. Thomas and Duluth will be in Denver in May for the 2011 MCLA Championships. Will the state of Minnesota sweep the competition this year in Denver bringing home both championship trophies?
FC: (laughs) I would love the scenario to happen. That’s the goal. St. Thomas is a proven factor and we have some work to do to make that a reality. We have a very deep midfield, we have second team All-American goaltender and our attack line is great. We have freshman Matt Murphy from Eden Prairie who I think is the most under-rated high school player in the state and Ryan Butts who transferred from Sacred Heart.

Read the UMLL Division I Preview here