With the conclusion of spring break and basketball season in the books, Ram fans are left wondering where to place their attention next.
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The CSU lacrosse team is currently defending the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division I National Championship title earned last year, and doing so with an undefeated 9-0 record.
The Rams have a chance to improve even more tonight in their home game against Chapman University.
“Sometimes I think we fly under the radar, but most of our fans will tell you it’s something worth checking out. We’re always looking to have more fans,” senior midfielder Dustin Grybinas said. “The Chapman games are always close so it should be a good test for us.”
Chapman is leading the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference with a 2-0 record and have a 7-3 overall record.
The Panther offense is powered by Colorado native Tyler Ankarlo, a junior attackman who is leading Chapman with 20 goals and six assists on the season. The Mullen high school graduate is looking forward to homecoming to the Centennial state.
“I am really excited to be back in Colorado and play against some kids that I have played with and against in high school, I also love the support from family and friends when I come home” Ankarlo said. “I always enjoy playing CSU. This year’s game should be a tight one and an entertaining one at that.”
Due to university regulations CSU was forced to play its home games at the Loveland Sports Complex until after spring break. The team was supposed to play their first game on campus Monday, but the game has been moved to Loveland, according to the team’s Twitter account.
“The turnouts we saw down there were enough to get us through, but we’re definitely looking forward to coming back and playing on campus,” Grybinas said. “It will allow more fans to show up as we enter into the tougher games.”
CSU is sitting third in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse conference, one game behind BYU and in-state rival CU-Boulder.
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“It’s important we get off on the right foot, starting with Chapman,” senior attackman Austin Fisher said. “We are entering this stretch where we play CU and BYU so we need to go into those games with wins.”
In recent years CSU has Chapman’s number, winning the annual matchup consecutively since 2010. The last time the Rams fell to the Panthers dates back to Mar. 22, 2009 when Chapman came out victorious 15-5 in Orange, CA.
“None of our seniors have lost to them yet, but it’s always been a pretty good game against them,” Fisher said. “They’ve got a strong offense and we have a really strong defense, a good matchup for us. It should be fun to watch.”
Club Sports Beat Reporter Quentin Sickafoose can be reached at sports@collegian.com.
UPDATE:
Tonight’s game has been moved to the Loveland Sports Complex and will start at 7p.m.
