| May 14th |
| SFU Loses First-Round Match at Nationals; Drops Remaining Games
For the seventh time in eight years, the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Men’s Field Lacrosse program traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to compete in the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (IA) National Championships. The Clan entered the 16-team national championship tournament as an at-large bid and No.15 seed, and faced the daunting task of facing the No.2 seeded Colorado State University (CSU) Rams in the first-round. CSU had been ranked No.1 all year, before dropping a close contest to the then No.2 ranked UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Gauchos in late April. That loss was CSU’s only blemish, heading into nationals early May. The Rams entered the tourney with a 21-1 record, including a win over NCAA Div.3 Colorado College, their third-straight RMLC title, and the No.2 seed. UCSB took the No.1 seed heading into tournament action. In the opening-round, CSU continued to exhibit the brand of lacrosse that had allowed them to be so successful in 2004, capture three of the last five Men’s Division IA (MDIA) national championships, and appear in the last five MDIA national championship games. The Rams simply dominated the Clan, in all aspects of the game, Tuesday, winning by a final score of 23-6. Click here for a complete SFU/CSU Game Recap. CSU continued their winning ways in the latter rounds. They defeated the University of Michigan (11-7) in the quarter-finals, and Brigham Young University (16-10) in the semis, on route to their sixth-straight national championship game appearance. There, they met the UCSB Gauchos for a second-straight year. The No.1 seeded Gauchos advanced to Saturday’s Championship game by defeating the University of Texas (15-6), the University of Oregon (12-5), and Sonoma State University (15-5). They would go on to avenge the loss CSU had handed to them in last year’s championship final, to win the 2004 Men’s Division IA National Championship game by one (9-8). SFU was relegated to the consolation bracket after dropping its contest to the high-powered Rams. The Clan lost both of those games, to Cal Poly (14-11) SFU/Poly Recap and to Florida State University recap (17-9) The finish was disappointing for the Clan, who had high hopes for 2004. The Clan finished 8 th in the nation in 2003, after posting victories over the University of Oregon in the PNCLL conference championship and the University of Colorado in the first-round of the MDIA national championships, last year. SFU graduated just two players from that 2003 squad, featured another strong freshmen class, and showed promise, at times, during the 2004 regular-season. SFU 2004 posted impressive wins over a number of PNCLL teams, Stanford University of the WCLL and Boston College of the PCLL. But facing the high-power assault of CSU, and without some key players due to injury, including (A) Justin Norbraten (All-Conference, 2004), (M) Mark Thompson (All-Conference, 2003), and (D) Chris Bobrownik (Team Unsung Hero, 2003), it was not to be. SFU will regroup and look to come back better than ever next year. Still in tact are the team’s starting attack and defensive units. College Sports Television (CSTV) was at this year’s National Championship, and will televise a one-hour highlight show on both the Men’s and Women’s Division IA National Championships, airing initially over Memorial Day weekend. Check your local listings for times. Click on the above links to view complete tournament coverage, game reports, stats, photos and video clips now. |
| May 13th |
| Yuen, Kojima and Johnson Earn Top Honors Three Clansmen were named 2004 MDIA All-Americans, during Thursday evening’s Awards Ceremony in St. Louis. Sophomore (D) Antio Yuen and Senior (M) Steve Kojima were both named Third-Team All-American (AA). Senior (G) Matt Johnson was an Honorable Mention. This is the second-time all three players have been named AA. Kojima was a Third-Team AA selection in 2003, while Yuen and Johnson were AA Honorable Mentions last year. Click here to view the complete list of 2004 MDIA All-Americans. |
| May 3rd |
| Follow the Clan at Nationals
Click here to follow the US Lacrosse MDIA National Championships (May 11-15). The above link provides complete tournament coverage, game reports and photos, as well as up-to-the-minute game stats. Note: SFU is the only Canadian member of the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (IA), an organization comprised of approximately 175 men’s teams, competing in one of nine regional conferences across the United States (and over 100 women’s teams competing in one of eight regional conferences.) SFU is also the only post-secondary school in British Columbia to offer a field lacrosse program. |
| May 3rd |
| Final MDIA Top-25 Poll is released; SFU earns At-Large Bid to Nationals!
The US Lacrosse Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA) Council announced its 2004 National Championship Tournament Field, today. SFU received the last available at-large bid, and will make the national championship field for a seventh time in eight years. Each year only 16 of the league’s approximately 175 men’s teams make nationals – the league’s nine conference champions and seven at-large bids, as determined by the sixth and final regular-season MDIA Top-25 Poll. The Clan dropped five spots, from No.10 to No.15, in the final regular-season MDIA Top-25 Poll, due to a key loss to the University of Oregon in the PNCLL conference championship game. So, SFU will head into the national tournament with a No.15 seed. The complete tournament field is as follows: 1 seed: California - Santa Barbara (WCLL Champions) SFU draws the No.2 seeded Colorado State University Rams in opening-round play, Tuesday. The winner of that game will go on to face the winner of Michigan/Cal Poly in the quarter-finals, Wednesday. Other teams in SFU’s bracket include Colorado/ Minnesota – Duluth, and BYU/ Florida State. The semi-finals will be held on Friday, and the Championship game is scheduled to go on Saturday. Click here to learn more about the IA National Championships, the only national college championship endorsed and managed by US Lacrosse, the National Governing Body of Lacrosse in the US |
| May 1st |
| Oregon wins PNCLL Title; SFU needs At-large Bid to make Nationals
The University of Oregon defeated the six-time Pacific NW Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) Champion Simon Fraser University (SFU) Clansmen, Sunday, to capture their first-ever PNCLL title. The Ducks routed the Clansmen, 19-9, on the strength of a 10-1 first-half performance. The Ducks capture the title of 2004 PNCLL Champions, after finishing second in the conference in 2002 and 2003. With the win, the Ducks also earn an automatic bid to the US Lacrosse Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA) national championships, to be held in St. Louis, May 11 – 15, marking the first-time in history the program has made nationals. SFU must await the release of the final regular-season MDIA Top-25 Poll to see if they also make the 2004 16-team national championship field, as an at-large bid. Oregon dominated the first-quarter of play, Sunday, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. They continued to own the ground-ball game in the second-quarter and, with a ball control offense and pressure defense that forced turnovers when SFU did have the ball – which wasn’t that often, the Ducks were able to extend their lead to a commanding 10-1 score by the half. The Clan offense finally found ways to find the back of the net in the third-quarter, led by senior midfielder Steve Kojima, who had played long-pole defense for the first half of the game. Kojima scored two-quick goals and assisted on another early in the third, to help spark the Clan to a six-goal quarter. But Oregon was also converting on their looks, and continued to lead, 14-7, heading into the forth and final-quarter. SFU started the forth-quarter with possession and man-up, however. And they wasted little time finding the back of the net again. Kojima, off a cross-field feed from Kelly Gares, ripped a shot home at the 14:52 mark of the forth. Mike Christians would score just 51 seconds later, off an end-to-end run and feed from long-pole Sean Tyson to trim the lead to five, at 14-9. Down just five with 14 minutes to play, SFU had regained momentum and were clearly back in the game. SFU had overcome big deficits before, most recently in California, when they scored seven unanswered forth-quarter goals to beat Boston College by one, 12-11. But SFU failed on its comeback this time around. Senior midfielder Jon Opet would score the game’s next goal and stop the bleeding for the Ducks, at 9:56, rebuilding the Oregon lead to six, at 15-9. The Ducks defense then re-asserted itself and went on to shut-out the Clan offense for the remainder of the game. "We were able to pack it in effectively on defense," said Oregon Head Coach Josh Barbour. "And Nate made some great saves and really cleared the ball well." Nate Cordova, Oregon ’s starting goalkeeper, was named the PNCLL Playoff’s Most Valuable Player, for his efforts. Cordova recorded 16 saves in the victory. Oregon earns the title of PNCLL Champion, and an automatic bid to the USL MDIA National Championships, with the victory. SFU must wait to see if they finish high enough in the final regular-season MDIA Top-25 Poll to make the 16-team national championship field as well, as an at-large. The final regular-season MDIA Top-25 Poll will be released this Monday, May 3 at 7pm Pacific. SFU held a No.10 national ranking heading into action this weekend. Goals by Quarter: UO Goals: Schofield (5), Connors, Coffman (3), Ernst, Tesar (2), Nelson, Waldman, Christensen, Opet (1) UO Assists: Connors (2), Coffman, Nelson, Waldman, Elterman (1) Goalkeeping: |
| April 30th |
| SFU defeats OSU; Advances to PNCLL Final #2 SFU defeated the #3 Oregon State University Beavers in convincing fashion, Saturday, 19-6. They will move on to face the #1 University of Oregon Ducks in the PNCLL Championship game, Sunday. OSU played the semi-final without two of their regular starting attackmen, Tipton and Loomis. Their starting goalkeeper, Josh Parker, was also forced out of the game midway through the second quarter due to an injury. SFU took advantage, outscoring the Beavers 7-2 in the second-quarter and 6-0 in the third. Playing all of their reserves in the forth, the Clan cruised to a 19-6 victory. #1 Oregon also won their semi-final game held earlier today, 16-6 over the #4 University of Washington Huskies. So it’s the #1 University of Oregon Ducks vs. #2 SFU Clansmen for the Conference Championship, again! Start time is 1:30pm. Use the PNCLL quick link to your right to find directions to the field. Here’s why Sunday’s Championship game should be great: Goals by Quarter: SFU Goals: Christians, Gares, Norbraten (4), Thompson, Gordon (2), Reelie, Fan, Sand (1) |
| April 28th |
| Eight Clansman Earn PNCLL All-Conference Honors
Freshman (A) Mike Christians was one of two SFU Clansmen named to the All-Conference first-team, today. Christians was also selected as the PNCLL Offensive Player of the Year. Sophomore (D) Anthio Yuen, last year’s PNCLL Defensive Player of the Year, was the other Clansmen named All-Conference first-team. Four Clansmen made second-team: Sophomores (M) Kelly Gares and (A) Justin Norbraten, junior (D) Nathan Hoskins, and senior (M) Steve Kojima. Seniors (M) Ryan Nose and (G) Matt Johnson were named as honorable mentions. This marks the second time both Yuen and Johnson have been named All-Conference, while Kojima receives the honors for a third time. Congratulations to all 2004 All-Conference Selections |
| April 26th |
Playoffs begin Friday; Conference Seeds are Set! PNCLL post-season play begins this Friday. SFU will play Saturday, May 1, for the right to advance to the conference final and defend their PNCLL title. #4 University of Washington (4-4) will face-off against #5 Gonzaga University (3-5), in quarter-final play, April 30. These two teams met back in early February, with Washington taking the victory by one, 10-9. This game should again be close, but the winner will be in tough with a semi-final match against the #1 University of Oregon (8-0) the following day. Oregon beat both Washington and Gonzaga handily in regular season play, 14-4 and 24-1 respectively. #2 SFU (7-1) awaits the winner of the other quarter-final match, #3 Oregon State University (6-2) vs. #6 Western Washington University (3-5). Oregon State won the regular meeting between these two quarter-final clubs, 12-6, and are expected to advance. The Beavers suffered just two losses during the regular season, to #1 Oregon and #2 SFU. In their regular season meeting with the Clan, the Beavers kept the game close, dropping the contest 23-18, but ended the season with disappointing wins over Gonzaga, 8-7 in over-time, and Montana, 12-8. SFU handed Western a 35-6 loss to end both teams’ regular seasons. The winner of the two semi-final matches will meet in the PNCLL final, Sunday, May 2. The PNCLL champion earns an automatic bid to the USL MDIA national championships, to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, for an eighth consecutive year, May 11-15. There they will join the eight other conference champions, and seven at-large bids. At-large bids and national seeds will be determined by the final regular season MDIA Top-25 Poll, to be released on Monday, May 3. Oregon and SFU are the only PNCLL teams currently in a position to receive an at-large bid to the 16-team national championship field. They are ranked at No.9 and No.10 in the nation, respectively. The PNCLL conference championships will be held in Seattle, WA, April 30 – May 2. Use the PNCLL quick link to your right and view the bar heading “2004 Info” to find exact location and game times. |
| April 24th |
SFU dominates Western in final regular season game; 35-6 SFU closed out the regular season in convincing fashion, Saturday, beating up on Western Washington, 35-6. The game was an example of how the Clan have showed improve this year – the Clan’s previous meeting with Western, in an exhibition game, saw the Clan win, but by a score of just 22-15. Freshman Mike Christians broke former All-American Ricky Clark’s single game scoring record, Saturday, popping in 11 in the victory. Clark set the record at 10 in the Clan’s final regular season game last year. Freshman Dane Reelie also scored 8. The Clan’s other starting attackman, sophomore Justin Norbraten, still needs to be added to the mix. Came, Gares, Thompson, Weber, Chow, Gordon and Nose all registered points for the Clan, who freely substituted reserves in during the second half. Defensively, SFU looked solid with the return of Matt Johnson to the cage and Anthio Yuen to long-pole, and the much improved unit of Yuen, Hoskins, Tyson, McArthur and Kojima. The Clan finish their regular season 7-1 in conference play and 10-2 overall, and appear to be peaking at just the right time. They hold the No.2 conference seed heading into the PNCLL playoffs and a No.10 MDIA national ranking. PNCLL playoffs begin this Friday! Goals by Quarter: SFU: 10-5-9-11= 35 SFU Goals: Christians (11), Reelie (8), Came (4), Gares, Thompson (3), Weber, Chow (2), Gordon, Nose (1) SFU Assists: Christians, Hoskins (3), Reelie (2), Gordon (1) |
| April 21st |
| SFU maintains its Top-10 ranking in latest MDIA Top-25 Poll SFU (9-2) kept hold of the No.10 spot in the fifth of six regular season MDIA Top-25 polls. Between release dates, the Clan went 1-0. They beat OSU, 23-18, despite the absence of seven players from their regular line-up, in a key conference game to claim the No. 2 conference seed heading into the playoffs. Click here to view the complete Top-25. The Clan will close out their regular season with a home game at Coquiltam Town Centre this Saturday, April 24, at 1:00 pm , against Western Washington University (3-4). Western is playing for the #5 conference seed. If they lose, they will end up with the #6 seed and a match with OSU in the quarter-finals. The next and final regular season MDIA Top-25 poll will be released after the PNCLL Final Four conference championships, on Monday, May 3. |
| April 17th |
SFU defeats Oregon State University, 23-18, to claim #2 conference seed and bye into PNCLL semi-finals. The Clan traveled to Corvallis, Oregon, to play the undefeated Oregon State University (OSU) Beavers, Saturday, in a key conference game that impacted the #1-3 playoff seeds. The game was tied 4-4 after the first quarter of play and 10-10 at the half. The Clan took a 17-14 lead into the final quarter, and were up 23-16, before allowing OSU to score two quick goals in the final thirty seconds of play to end the game 23-18 SFU. The University of Oregon also beat OSU, 16-5. Consequently, the Clan (6-1) claimed the #2 conference seed and a first round bye into the PNCLL playoffs, where they will likely meet OSU again. OSU (4-2) will finish with the #3 conference seed and will thus play the #6 conference seed – still unknown – in the quarter-finals. Expect OSU to advance from that match regardless, and meet SFU again in the semis. If OSU and SFU do meet again, however, both teams will be featuring completely different looks, namely the return of their starting goaltenders – Josh Parker of OSU (2003 PNCLL Goalie of the Year) and Matt Johnson of SFU (2003 HM All-American) both missed today’s game due to final exams. Six other players missed the game for the Clan, including starting attackman Justin Norbraten. Long-pole Anthio Yuen (2003 PNCLL Defenseman of the Year) played well in place of Johnson, recording 22 saves, but his return to long-pole will surely help SFU’s D. Oregon (8-0) claimed the #1 conference seed by beating OSU as well, on Sunday. They will play the winner of the #4 vs #5 quarter-final game – still unknown – in the other PNCLL semi-final. The conference championships will be held in Seattle, WA, in two-weeks time (April 30 – May 2). Use the PNCLL quick link to your right and view the bar heading “2004 Info” to find the exact location and game times. Goals by Quarter: SFU Goals: Gares (8), Christians (4), Gordon, Dane (3), Thompson, Nose (2) Kojima (1) |
| April 7th |
| SFU cracks Top-10 in latest MDIA Top-25 Poll SFU (8-2) moved up three spots to claim the No.10 spot in the forth of six regular season MDIA Top-25 poll. The Clan played just one game between the release date of the third and forth poll, going 1-0 with a victory over Gonzaga University. Click here to view a press release on the complete Top-25. Next up for the Clan (6-1
in conference play) is a road-trip to Corvallis, Oregon, April 17, and
an important match with the PNCLL surprise team of 2004, the Oregon State
University Beavers (4-0). The key conference game will determine the Clansmen’s
post-season seed. |
| April 4th |
| SFU defeats Gonzaga University; 23-15 SFU lead 4-2 after a slow first quarter, and on the strength of a 7-2 run in the second, 11-5 at the half. Gonzaga continued to battle hard in the second half, and with the help of two goals scored on a non-releasable call to SFU’s starting keeper, and one more just as Johnson was released, were able to cut the lead to 16-13 with 11 minutes remaining. But SFU regrouped with Johnson out of the box to go on a 5-0 run over the next 2.5 minutes of play. Final score: SFU 23 – Gonzaga 15. Scoring by Quarter: SFU Goals: Norbraten (5),
Came (4), Christians and Gares (3), Nose, Thompson and Kyle (2), Sand
and Weber (1) SFU Assists: Norbraten and
Thompson (2), Came, Christians, Hoskins and Weber (1) SFU Penalties: 7 for 5.5 minutes |
| March 24th |
| New Top-25 Poll is out! SFU (7-2) drops one spot to No 13 in the third of six regular season MDIA Top-25 polls. Conference rival Oregon (7-3) bumbs up again, to the No 9 spot. Click here to view the complete Top-25. The Clan played four games between the release date of the second and third MDIA Top-25 poll, going 3-1. SFU posted big victories over the University of Montana and Pacific Lutheran University, before dropping a contest to the No 1 ranked Colorado State University (CSU) Rams. SFU responded to that loss with a key conference win over the University of Washington. The Clan’s next game
is on the road against the Gonzaga University Bulldogs, April 4. It is
one of just three remaining regular season games for SFU, who currently
sit in third place in the PNCLL- behind the University of Oregon and Oregon
State University, who remain undefeated in conference play. |
| March 20th |
| SFU defeats Washington; 15-8 Despite being fresh off a CSU thumping, and facing a Washington Huskies team that had played the No 1 Rams tough just two days earlier, the Clansmen cruised to a 15-8 victory Sunday, in a penalty riddled game that saw the Clan led 11-5 at the half. SFU got goals from seven different players in their seven-goal margin of victory. Lack of finishing on the part of SFU’s snipers, and penalty trouble kept the Clansmen from scoring more. In total, SFU was recorded for taking 52 shots. Johnson again had a strong showing for the club, recording a game high 24 saves. The win reclaimed some respect for the Clansmen who had lost to No 1 CSU, 24-6, just a day earlier. Washington had also played the Rams, just two days before meeting up with SFU, and surprisingly close. The Huskies were down to the No 1 team in the country just 3-1 at the end of the first, 5-3 at the half and 6-4 late in the third, before eventually losing to the Rams, 12-5. Scoring by Quarter SFU Goals: Christians (5),
Gares (3), Reelie, Gordon (2), Kojima, Norbraten and Bridges (1) SFU Assists: Christians, Gares,
Reelie, Kojima, Norbraten and Nose (1) SFU Penalties: 8 for 17.5
minutes |
| March 21st |
| SFU loses to No 1 CSU; 24-6 The MDIA No 1 ranked Colorado State University (CSU) Rams dominated the No 12 ranked SFU Clansmen Saturday night, winning by a final score of 24-6. The hard fought game was tightly officiated and turned a bit ugly in the latter stages. In total, the two teams combined for 25 penalties, 10 of which were unsportsmanlike conducts. Prior to this game, the last time these two teams met was at the 1999 national championships, for the national championship. SFU held the lead for the majority of that game, but CSU was able go on a run in the forth quarter and pull out a 15-11 victory. The Rams have been in the national championship game ever year since 99, winning the national title again in 01 and 03. As they have proven with their play this year, they are a threat to be back in the title game and win it all again in 04. SFU started the game strong, but did not finish early opportunities. The Rams lead 5-1 after the first quarter, with the help of a late tally that came with just 10 seconds remaining in the quarter. Four different Ram goal scorers helped contribute to that opening round for CSU, a trend of balanced scoring that would continue for the No 1 ranked team. By the end of the day, the Rams had seven different players register four or more points. In the second quarter, SFU
continued to make unforced errors and be out-battled for loose balls,
and the Rams took advantage to led 11-2 at the half. And CSU did not let-up
in the second, outscoring SFU 13-4 over the final 30 minutes of play.
Despite the high number of goals surrendered, Johnson had a strong performance
in net for the Clan, recording 15 saves. SFU went 3/11 on man-up opportunities,
well CSU converted on 7/14. Goals by Quarters: CSU Goals: Stanitz-Harper
and Robinson (4), Disney and Bird (3), Johnson, Murphy, Koll and Farquhar
(2), Eichhorn and Stevens (1) |
| March 14th |
| SFU defeats PLU; 23-6 SFU managed a strong game despite missing five players due to injury. The win was a complete team effort, featuring a number of notable performances, including one from freshman Al Sand who notched his first of the season on a beauty. Brian Chow continued his dominance at the face-off ‘X’ winning 20/24 draws and Christians and Norbraten continued their impressive freshman and sophomore campaigns with seven goals each. Kojima helped out on the defensive end, playing long-pole for little over half of the game, and Johnson registered 20 saves in another strong showing. Next up for the Clansmen are the Colorado State University Rams, the league’s No 1!
SFU Goals: Christians and
Norbraten (7), Reelie (3), Gares (2), Gordon, Kojima, Sand and Nose (1) SFU Assists: Reelie and Weber
(1) |
| March 12th |
| SFU defeats Montana; 22-3 SFU got off to a quick start and never looked back. The Clan put 10 players on the score-sheet tonight, and managed to work in all their freshman and reserves. A welcome addition to the Clan offense was sophomore Allan Bridges, who saw his first taste of action after missing the entire 03 season and previous 04 games due to injury. He rang one off the post and popped another to notch his first of the season. SFU is back in action this Sunday against PLU. Goals by Quarter: SFU Goals: Christians (5),
Norbraten (4), Weber, Gordon, Kojima, Nose and Reelie (2), Thompson, Gares
and Bridges (1) SFU Assists: Weber (2), Gordon
and Kojima (1) |
| March 10th |
| New Top-25 Polls is out! SFU maintains its No 12 rank
in the second of six regular-season MDIA Top-25 polls. Conference rival
Oregon bumps up to No 10. Click
here to view the complete Top-25. |
| March 8th |
| Clan win California Invitational! The SFU men’s field lacrosse team successfully captured the Warrior sponsored California Invitational, defeating both Stanford University and Boston College in a complete team effort. -Four collegiate teams competed
in the Invitational- SFU, Boston College, Stanford University, and Loyola
Marymount. |
| March 7th |
| Simon
Fraser Clansmen 12 Boston College dominated SFU in the first three quarters of play, and led 8-5 heading into the forth and final quarter. That’s when SFU stepped it up another notch. The Clan were simply on fire in the final quarter, going on a 7-1 run and taking a 12-9 lead into the final minutes. SFU had five different goal scorers contribute to that forth quarter rally. But Boston College would not quit, and they went on their own little rally, scoring back-to-back goals, closing the lead to just one with 14 seconds remaining. SFU would, however, win the ensuing draw and squash any hopes of a Boston College comeback. Final score: SFU 12, Boston College 11.
Face-offs won: Ground Balls: Penalties: |
| March 6th |
| SFU defeats Stanford; 16-13 The Clan played exceptional in the first half of their game against the Cardinals, and led 11-4 at the half. But Stanford battled back in the second half, and with the help of numerous man-up opportunities, closed the lead to just one at 13-12, late in the game. SFU stayed composed though, and got two forth quarter goals from attackman Justin Norbraten and a late tally from Ben Came to push the game out of reach. Final score: SFU 16, Stanford 13. -With the win, SFU moves on to face Boston College. The Eagles beat Loyola Marymount University, 12-7, to advance to Sunday’s championship game. Goals by Quarter: Ground Balls: Penalties: |
| March 1st |
| SFU travels to California this weekend looking to rebound from their lost to No. 11 Oregon. They will leave early Thursday morning and return late Monday night to participate in the Warrior Invitational. SFU current currently sit at No. 12 in the US Lacrosse Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA) Top-25 poll. The team will play Stanford University Saturday, and Boston College or Loyola Marymount Sunday. Both games will be huge tests for a young SFU squad, and key indicators of where exactly the team stands in the entire MDIA. No 20 Stanford University is looking to return to the national championships after a year’s absence. The last time these two teams meet was at the 2001 national championships, and Stanford up-set the Clansmen on route to a national championship appearance. The Cardinals started 2004 with a win over No. 17 Chico State, but have since dropped contests to No. 2 University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB) and No. 13 Cal Poly. SFU will need to better Cal Poly’s 14-6 win over Stanford to maintain its higher seed. No. 19 Boston College lost their NCAA varsity lacrosse status in 2001, but established a club team that same year. They won the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) conference championship last year and are picked to win it again. The Eagles start their season this week, with two conference games before traveling to Loyola Marymount University (LMU) to take on the No. 25 LMU Lions Saturday. No. 25 Loyola Marymount, with wins over Santa Clara, Cal – Berkley and Arizona State, established a 5-0 record by the release date of the first Top-25 poll (February 25, 2004.) They improved their record to 6-0 with a win over No. 22 University of California – San Deigo (UCSD) this past weekend. They compete in the very competitive Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) conference along with Stanford. This weekend’s games will have significant ranking implications. And SFU knows that with Oregon in the hunt for a conference title this year, they could determinate whether the Clansmen make 2004 national championship field. Each year only 16 of the approximately 175 USL MDIA teams make the nationals – the league’s nine conference champions and seven at large bids, as determined by the final (sixth) regular season Top-25 poll. SFU is gunning to make the nationals for a seventh year. They were incepted into the league in 1997. For the eighth straight year the nationals will be held in St. Louis, Missouri. The tourney will move to Blaine, Minnesota in 2005 and 2006. The second of six regular
season Top-25 polls will be released next Wednesday, March 10. |
| Febuary 27th |
| SFU defeats Western Washington; 22-15
SFU got off to a sluggish start, before rallying behind the strong offensive performances of sophomores Kelly Gares and Justin Norbaten. The Clan’s offensive seemed to be clicking on all cylinders in the second half. Expect the defense to do the same the next time these two teams meet up in Canada , at the end of the regular season |
| Febuary 22nd |
| Clan vs University of Oregon SFU was upset 9-8 by the University of Oregon Ducks in a tight game that came down to the last minutes of play. |
| Febuary 21st |
| Clan vs WSU Under sunny skies
in Coquitlam, BC, Simon Fraser opened the 2004 season with a 20-2 win
over Washington State. Freshman Dane Reelie notched the first goal of
the season for the Clansmen, who also got goals from 4 other players in
the first half. SFU showed some of their depth this year by having goals
from a total of 8 different players . WSU goaltender, Dustin Geldermann
made several key saves in the second half of the game from an assortment
of SFU snipers. Thanks to WSU for a good clean game. |
| Febuary 1st |
| SFU to play top-flight schedule in 2004 Eight conference and three out-of-conference games are on the slate for the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Men’s Field Lacrosse Program in 2004. Key match-ups include games against the University of Oregon, Stanford University, Boston College or Loyola Marymount, and Colorado State University, the preseason number one. SFU meets Oregon in their second game of a two game home stand to start their 2004 season. Oregon lost to SFU by just a single tally in last year’s conference final, 7-6. They graduated no one from that 2003 team and added freshmen and transfers for 2004. The meeting between these two on February 22 could well determine who receives the top seed at the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) conference championships. SFU’s all-time unbeaten home record is also on the line. March 6-7, SFU travels to California to play Stanford University and the winner of a Boston College vs. Loyola Marymount match-up. The trip, SFU’s first ever regular season out-of-conference trip, supports SFU’s desire to play top quality competition, while helping to satisfy a new league rule that requires teams to play at-least three out-of-conference games to be eligible for an at-large bid to the national championships. “Our strength as a team is only a reflection of the depth of our schedule,” said SFU assistant coach Brent Hoskins of the team’s decision to schedule some of the best US Lacrosse Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA) teams. “The more opportunity we get to play against better competition, the better prepared we will be to face those team again, or rise to the occasion if we meet another team of similar caliber at the national championship level”. Stanford University is looking to return to the national championships after a year’s absence, and they are always a force. They compete in the very competitive Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) conference, which ranked six teams in the preseason’s top sixteen, so this game will also have ranking implications. Loyola Marymount also competes in the WCLL, and is a program on the rise. SFU, however, expects to face Boston College March 7. Boston College ranked eighteenth in preseason voting, one slot ahead of Oregon. Their program lost its NCAA varsity status in 2001, but established a club team that same year. They are looking to repeat as Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) conference champions this year. Likely SFU’s biggest test will come later in the regular season, when the Clansmen take on the Colorado State University (CSU) Rams in Seattle, March 20. The Rams have made an appearance in the last five national championship games, winning three of them. CSU are the defending Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) and MDIA national champions. They will have to replace their starting goalie from a year ago, but they are still stack. The Rams return their entire starting attack and starting defense, and have added a number of talented players for 2004. Tim Farquhar, the Offensive MVP of the 2002 national championships, is one of those new faces the Rams will feature, as he returns from injury. The Rams ranked first in preseason voting. “They have a strong tradition of winning,” said Hoskins of CSU. “For the last five years they have been able to compete at the level that we want and feel our program can compete at this year, and for years to come”. Hoskins echoes the
sentiments of his SFU team, who feel this could be one of those years
the program challenges for a national championship. Time will only tell
if that is the case. The PNCLL conference championships are in Seattle,
May 1-2. The MDIA national championships will again be in St. Louis, May
8-12. |
| OSU game rescheduled |
| SFU will now play OSU on Feb 29th instead of Apr 22, the game is still in Corvallis |
| Season Preview |
| 2004
Outlook 2003 Record: 14-3, eight place
finish. Beat the University of Oregon, 7-6, in PNCLL conference final.
Beat Colorado University, 16-14, in USL MDIA first round. Lost to Sonoma
State University, 12-4, in USL MDIA second round. |
| Fall News |
SFU Fundraising events SFU will be holding their third annual awards dinner & silent auction Sunday October 5 @ 6pm at the Old Mill Boathouse Port Moody. Dinner will be lasagne , salad ets. Tickets are $15. All proceeds go to the teams costs for the 2004 season. The Old Mill Boathouse is located at Rocky Point ( off Moody Street, across the bridge) . SFU lacrosse is holding
a Pasta Sale. This quality product is manufactured locally & sold
by the case with 5 - 1kg packages in each. We are offering cheese tortellini,
meat or cheese ravioli & lasagne.Please contact Marilyn @ 421-8190
if you would like to find out more. |
| SFU Lacrosse |
Play for a 'National' Championship with SFU
|
| SFU Summer Camps | ||||||||||||||||
August brings Lacrosse camps to SFU
The Simon Fraser Lacrosse “deBeer Field Lacrosse Camps” are designed to refine and enhance the skills of participants in a fun and competitive environment. Instruction is provided by top caliber coaches and players with professional, international and local lacrosse experience. This years camps have been restructured to maximize each players potential through the use of innovative practice drills and simulated game-like experiences. Individual and team based instruction will further promote each player’s development in a diverse range of positional settings. Each participant will receive a reversible practice jersey, give-aways and a chance to win deBeer lacrosse products at the end of the camp.
Participants
must bring their own field lacrosse equipment. Each participant will require:
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