PUEBLO, Colo. (March 18, 2015) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's lacrosse team closed out its three-game homestand Wednesday with a 19-9 setback versus Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association member Rockhurst University at the Art and Lorraine Gonzales Lacrosse Complex.
With the loss, the ThunderWolves fall to 0-6 overall and 0-4 in WILA contests. The win gives the Hawks the season sweep of the Pack and improves their record to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in league tilts.
For the second-straight game, CSU-Pueblo posted a season high in goals, tallying nine. The ThunderWolves also recorded season highs in both points (12) and shots (30).
For the contest, Rockhurst owned the edge in shots (53-30), ground balls (41-25), faceoffs won (20-29 to 9-29), while the Pack held the advantage in caused turnovers (8-4).
CSU-Pueblo was led offensively by Jamil Modaffari (Jr., Pen Yan, N.Y.). The junior notched his second hat trick in as many games, notching three goals. Garrett Palmer (Fr., Gilbert, Ariz.) and Kelton Himmelberg (Jr., Centennial, Colo.) chipped in with two markers apiece, while Hunter Thompson (Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Cody Bolen (Fr., Castle Rock, Colo.) each added one goal. Thompson matched his season high in assists with two, while Bolen tallied one helper.
On the defensive end of the field, Preston DeHerrera (So., Northglenn, Colo.) and Nick Richards (Fr., Henderson, Nev.) tied for the team lead with four ground balls apiece. DeHerrera tied with Modaffari for the game high in caused turnovers with two each.
Richards played all but 2:39 in between the pipes for the Pack, registering nine saves. Zach McGuff and Alex Pfeil each played a half for the Hawks with McGuff stopping four shots and Pfeil saving six shot attempts.
CSU-Pueblo jumped on the scoreboard first on an unassisted goal by Palmer 2:29 into the contest.
After Rockhurst tied the game at one apiece, Himmelberg put the ThunderWolves back in the lead, at 2-1, with an unassisted marker at the 8:03 mark of the first quarter.
The Hawks went on a 3-0 scoring run to take a 4-2 advantage, but the Pack answered with a pair of goals to even the game at 2-2 with 12:31 showing on the second-quarter game clock. Himmelberg and Palmer both notched their second goals of the contest to even the score.
Rockhurst scored nine consecutive goals to take a 13-4 advantage with 5:13 elapsed in the third quarter.
Bolen halted the Hawks' scoring outburst with his fifth goal of the season with 8:35 remaining in the third stanza.
Both teams scored a pair of goals each over the next 4:43, making the score 15-7 in favor of the visitors. Thomson and Modaffari each tallied a marker for the Pack during the stretch.
After three more goals by Rockhurst, CSU-Pueblo registered two out of the game's final three goals. Modaffari found the back of the net on both scores for the ThunderWolves, but it was too little too late as the Hawks earned the 19-9 victory.
The Pack travel to the East Coast for their next game, facing off against Brevard College in Brevard, N.C. Friday 2 p.m. (MDT).
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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.
