Bobcats Lose in CAC Semifinals Against #2 York

The Frostburg State University (FSU) men’s lacrosse team saw their season end this past Wednesday in the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament.

The Bobcats lost by a score of 10-3 to second ranked York College. The Spartans came into the game with a 16-1 record, and a 10-game win streak.

York put the pressure on FSU early, coming out the gate with seven unanswered goals to open the game. Three of those goals were scored by senior attack Hunter Davis, who finished with a game-high four goals.

The Bobcats first goal came with 57 seconds to play in the first half when junior Paul Ruppert scored a goal off an assist from first-year Jake Bowman. The Bobcats outscored the Spartans in the third quarter 2-1 on goals from Ruppert and first-year Gavin Schattal but didn’t score in the fourth. Junior Jack Marks led all players in saves with 17.

Wednesday’s game marked the end of an up and down season for the Bobcats. FSU won seven of it’s first eight games to begin the season but finished losing their next five games. They got back on track and won two of three to finish the regular season.

The Bobcats winning ways carried into the playoffs, as their final win of the season came in the first round of the CAC tournament against St. Mary’s, avenging a loss to the Seahawks from just a week prior.

Despite the end of the 2019 season, the future is bright for the Bobcats, who are bringing back their top four scorers from this season. Among the returners is first-year phenom Matthew Ward, who scored 37 goals on the season, which was good for second on the team. His 58 points were tied with Ruppert to lead the team.

Big changes will be coming for the Bobcats in the 2020 season, as the team will move to the East Coast Conference (ECC) for their inaugural season in Division II. This will end historic FSU rivalries with teams such as Salisbury and Christopher Newport but opens the door for FSU to have more of a national presence and begin new rivalries with some of the six other teams in the ECC. Going forward, the Bobcats will play the likes of Mercy College and Molloy College. It will be interesting to see how FSU fares against what could prove to be steeper competition in a more competitive conference. Despite the end to this season, new beginnings and opportunities await FSU on the horizon.