KANSAS CITY, Mo. (February 28, 2015) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's lacrosse team opened Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association play Saturday with a 23-6 setback to Rockhurst Univeristy at Bourke Field.
With the loss, the ThunderWolves drop to 0-2 on the season and 0-1 in WILA contests. The Hawks remain undefeated at 3-0 overall and start conference action 1-0.
Rockhurst held the statistical advantage in shots, 55-18, ground balls, 50-27, faceoffs, 17-13, and caused turnovers, 12-6.
The Pack were led offensively by Garrett Palmer (Fr., Gilbert, Ariz.) and Hunter Thompson (Greenwood Village, Colo.). Palmer tallied his first two goals of the season, while Thompson added two of his own to give him a team-best three markers on the season. Chas Welch (So., Dacula, Ga.) added one goal, matching Thompson for the team lead with three for the year. Tyler Goodwin (Fr., Littleton, Colo.) notched his first goal of the year to round out the scoring for CSU-Pueblo.
Caleb Johnson (Fr., Castle Rock, Colo.) and Jamil Modaffari (Jr., Pen Yan, N.Y.) both assisted on a goal each for the ThunderWolves.
In the faceoff spot, Kory Mueller (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis.) claimed 8-of-19 attempts. Mueller and Welch tied for the team lead in caused turnovers with two apiece. Mueller also paced the ThunderWolves in ground balls with three, tying him with Kyle Love (Fr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Larry Munson (Fr., Littleton, Colo.).
In goal, Nick Richards (Fr., Henderson, Nev.) and Brendan Temple (Fr., Centennial, Colo.) each played a half, with Richards notching five saves and Temple stopping four shots.
CSU-Pueblo jumped on the scoreboard first courtesy of an unassisted goal by Thompson 2:59 into the opening quarter.
After a pair of goals by the home team, Goodwin evened the contest at two apiece with his first goal of the season at the 8:30 mark of the first quarter.
The Hawks went on a 4-0 scoring run to take a 6-2 advantage, before Welch ripped a shot between the pipes off of a Johnson assist, pulling the Pack within three, at 6-3, with 11:34 left until halftime.
Rockhurst seized control of the contest thanks to a 9-0 run spanning 16:03 of game action to move in front 15-3 with 5:23 elapsed in the third quarter.
Palmer put a halt to the scoring run with his first goal of the match. Modaffari assisted on the play as the ThunderWolves recorded a man-up goal, making the score, 15-4.
After three more goals from the Hawks, Thompson went at it alone, tallying an unassisted goal despite playing a man down.
Trailing 19-5 after three quarters, CSU-Pueblo struck first in the final stanza. Palmer rocketed a shot past the goalie, giving the ThunderWolves their final score of the contest.
Four, fourth-quarter goals by Rockhurst gave it the final winning margin of 23-6.
The Pack conclude their road trip Sunday, playing at Lindenwood. First faceoff versus the Lions is set for 12:00 p.m. (MST).
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
