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UCSB Knocks Off 2008 National Champion Colorado State

Box Score

Feb. 15, 2009

Santa Barbara, CA - UCSB upset defending WDIA National Champion Colorado State 9-7 in Santa Barbara Shootout action on the turf at UCSB today. A moderately high scoring first half saw UCSB take a 5-2 lead twelve minutes into the game. A run of four straight goals made it 4-1 when senior  Katie Moran (San Rafael, CA) scored unassisted at 7:50. Following a goal by the Rams Moran then assisted freshman  Megan Dawe (Martinez, CA) to give UCSB their biggest lead of the contest. Colorado State responded with a three goal run to tie it at 5-5 with 2:19 to go in the game before UCSB tallied two assisted goals to go ahead 7-5. A UCSB foul with 20 seconds remaining in the half gave CSU attacker Francessca Smith a free position shot. She scored it to pull CSU within one at half-time, making it 7-6 in favor of UCSB at the break.

Moran was high scorer in the game with 3 goals but she was also all over the field leading both teams in ground balls and caused turnovers with 4 of each. 

Thirteen goals were scored by both teams in the first half but only three more goals were scored the rest of the way. The Rams scored first just 2:20 into the second half to tie it at 7-7. At that point freshman goalie  Jeni Centner (Tustin, CA) set up a wall in front of the UCSB cage and turned back every Colorado State attempt at scoring. Centner had eight of her twelve saves in the second half and had to have frustrated the Rams to no end.

"Sometimes the phrase 'you're a wall' is used a little too liberally with lacrosse goalies," commented UCSB coach  Paul Ramsey, "but today Jeni earned such a compliment."

Overall Centner saved 63.2% against a team of proficient shooters.  The UCSB defense rallied around Centner's efforts and scooped up loose balls and cleared it out to the offensive end.  The problem there was the Rams were being similarly stingy and while the Gauchos took 18 shots in the game they only managed four in the second half.  Fortunately the UCSB took full advantage of their opportunities and went 2 for 4 to get the win.  Junior  Samantha Lutz (San Diego, CA) had the game winner on a pass from sophomore  Ashley Antoon-Algieri (San Ramon, CA) with 12:41 remaining in the game and it proved to be the game winner making the score 8-7. During high pressure by the Rams to get the ball back sophomore  Alyssa Nelsen (Denver, CO) found a lane to goal to be the only path open to relieve the pressure and scored unassisted with 5 seconds left in the game.

UCSB responded to needing goals midway through the game with four of their last five goals coming on assisted looks at scoring. Algieri passed to Dawe for one of them, Nelsen passed to Moran, freshman  Maegan Cruse (San Diego, CA) passed to junior  Maggie Aker (Oakland, CA) and Algieri passed to Lutz for the fourth.

"Responding to needing to score by working with teammates and getting the ball to the player in position to score is how to win big games against good teams with good goalies," said Ramsey. "We're still working toward being able to respond like that and not going individual under pressure."

"During this game we took a big step toward making it part of our style of play."

UCSB improves to 4-1 with the win and next faces Georgia in the final Santa Barbara Shootout game for both teams.