Despite the deficit, coach Chris Malone had that way about him; he had a smirk as if this was the beginning. Yes, the men’s lacrosse team lost to the Colorado State 9-6, but facing the No. 1 ranked team was the size-up the team needed.
Following the game, Malone was all right. He said that this was a building experience.
“I’m proud. We kept fighting,” Malone said. “You have to learn from this stuff. You have to buy shots, plain and simple. Our defense played great. Overall, (it was) not bad. It was a learning day.”
Malone said that Colorado State threw different things at them, which was expected. The score at halftime was 5-1.
Jack Regan, the goalie for the Rams during the first half, said that his team did pull the stops on both ends, but their style of play was nothing new.
“All we had to do was watch (ASU) play,” Regan said. “We were ready for them overall, but in the first half they were tough. We just did what we normally do.”
The Rams had an aggressive-style offense, pressing the ball. Most of their points derived off fluent ball movement and pressure on the ASU’s defense.
Defensively, their play was a different kind of aggressive. Sun Devils were checked, tripped and, at points, leveled by the Rams.
Junior communications major Ian Anderson said that the team knew what they were getting themselves into.
“We know this is an aggressive team,” Anderson said. Anderson said that the team did come out too timid for this aggressive team. After the 5-1 deficit in the first though, the Sun Devils started to gel. The team essentially went goal for goal with the Rams thereon out.
“We know what we have to do now,” Anderson said.
The Sun Devils did. The next day, the team beat Northeastern 6-3. Given this game was not against the No. 1 team, the Devils look ahead. Malone’s grin was for the future, for the reassurance his team gave him.
They hung in there; they are at Colorado’s level. Malone said that the games helped tell the team where they are, and looking ahead, where they need to be. They seem to be middle of the road but still developing.
“We have to work,” Malone said. “You can’t make little mistakes. We know what we need to do.”
Anderson knows. Malone knows. Now, to just put it all together.
The Sun Devils are scheduled to play away at Chapman University on March 17th. Although not another highly ranked opponent, Malone looks to further tune his squad.
