Men’s Lacrosse: Perfect Autumn
BLOOMSBURG- Bloomsburg men’s lacrosse team took their final step in assuring a perfect fall record Sunday as they trounced 2007 final four participants Millersville University 14-9 in a long and grueling game. The huskies started off slow and vulnerable but a few adjustments allowed the game to conform to Bloomsburg’s original plan.
The shaky start began as Millersville attack men Kyle O’Donnell (West Chester PA) was the catalyst on four quick goals, scoring two and assisting on another two. The quick onslaught of goals left the huskies in a daze, but Captain Steve Wittmer made the correct call in isolating O’Donnell the rest of the afternoon, which in turn, stagnated the Millersville attack.
Throughout the game, Bloomsburg showed great signs of balance in all aspects of the game. Sophomore goalie Andrew Outten stepped up nicely as Junior Eric Ness, who suffered an injury in a bicycle accident sustained earlier in the week. Outten registered many chaotic saves all game diffusing any spark from the Marauders assault. Outten tallied 18 saves in all and ran the clear like a well oiled machine.
The defense played exceptionally well after the first quarter blemish with hard sliding and timely communication. Homerun checks from Drew Andre and Steve Wittmer lit up the highlight reel frequently as it allowed the transition game to flow. Those defensive stops and fundamentally sound stick work from the defense on clears began the transition track meet in the midfield.
With Kevin Pearsall and Kyle Gettz running on all cylinders, goals were easy to come by with the silky smooth finishing of the attack men; this allowed the transition game to account for more than 1/3 of the huskies attack. The other piece of the attack was filled in with dominant dodging from Mike Porter and Mike Vogan, with Scott Radzinkski fueling the fire with pinpoint accurate passing and timeless runs from behind the goal. Solid ball movement and patient possession was one of the key ingredients to the game throughout the second half.
Other mitigating factors in which the Huskies controlled the tempo of the game included the daunting task of the inevitable ‘ground ball war.’ Bloomsburg led Millersville almost 2-1 in this category across the board, which some say is the reason why the victory was achieved. John Lawless again played outstanding at the faceoff mark winning more than 50% of the battles, which in turn allowed to goals, fast breaks, and possessions that ruined the Millersville plan of action.
After Bloomsburg showed great promise with wins against East Stroudsburg, Temple University, Rutgers University, Kutztown, and Millersville, a deep playoff run is most expected from this “team” that plays like a championship squad, closing out games late, and holding onto early leads from the start of the game. With the spring season coming up, many are excited for what is anticipated to be the most talented and deep group to grace the Bloomsburg campus. With an undefeated fall, many are hopeful of an exciting spring, with a team that deserves it.
