The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference championship finally rolled around with the Colorado State University men’s lacrosse team taking on the Utah Valley University Wolverines in Canvas Stadium. The Rams (5-9, 1-3 RMLC) fell to the Wolverines (13-2, 4-0 RMLC) 18-9.

Goalie play and defense dominated the first period, as the Rams took an early 2-0 lead. Despite the 3-0 penalty differential in favor of the Wolverines, they could not capitalize. Midfielder Cade Ebbers and attacker Carson Malinowski scored the goals for the Rams. 

“We played a lot better today than we did when we played UVU the first time,” MacDonald said. “I think we had over 10 caused turnovers in the first two quarters; UVU just went on a run.”

Despite the Rams’ early jolt in the game, they couldn’t tighten the reins. Although midfielder Nick Chastain came out and scored the Rams’ third straight goal with a 360-spinning shot, the Wolverines were ready to respond. They ripped off four straight goals, taking a 4-3 lead into the half. 

“If you’re not learning from your failures, you’re not getting any better.” –Ryan MacDonald, CSU lacrosse head coach

The Wolverines continued their onslaught, scoring 10 more goals during the third period. They dominated possession of the ball, holding it mostly in the Rams’ defensive zone. The Rams also struggled to get any offense going, as they often turned the ball over and only got a couple of shots off. 

Although CSU went on to score five goals in the fourth period, the game was over. Despite the newfound energy the Rams gathered to begin the period, they were never able to gain any ground and capture their momentum. 

“If you’re not learning from your failures, you’re not getting any better,” MacDonald said. “You’re not getting any closer as a family, too.”

The Rams defense looked lost, and their offense was nowhere to be found. The lone bright spots for the Rams were Chastain, Malinowski and Ebbers. The Rams now get an offseason to reset and reload for the 2023-24 season. 

“We’re graduating quite a few seniors,” MacDonald said. “It’ll be offseason preparation for the fall. New guys that are going to be coming in, … say goodbye to our seniors and tip our hats to them for their hard work out there and their history with the program.”

Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.