Bobcats Men’s Lax Sneaks By Ursinus In Snowy Season Opener

Feb. 17 marked the return of Frostburg State men’s lacrosse as they hosted No. 23 Ursinus. It was a back-and-forth affair that resulted in sophomore attackman Jimmy Lucas netting the game winner with under four minutes left to give the Bobcats the 9-8 victory on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

“I wouldn’t say that our guys actually enjoy playing in snowy conditions as much as they embrace that it’s an inevitable part of playing lacrosse at Frostburg this time of year,” said head coach Tommy Pearce.

It was a rough start for FSU though, as the Bears went on a 2-0 surge with scores by Bobby McClure and Peter DeSemone. Even though first-year attackman Jason Clinton put the Bobcats on the board with a goal, McClure answered back with another tally. Ursinus held a 3-1 lead near the end of the first quarter until Clinton struck again with 39 seconds left to make it a 3-2 deficit.

In the second quarter, Ursinus’s Tim Miller was called to the box for holding, which led to FSU senior midfielder Keegan Colegrove scoring a man up goal assisted by senior Adam Gross to tie the game at 3-3.

The last nine minutes of the first half really went back-and-forth. Evan Scott gave the Bears the lead back with a tally at 8:35 for Ursinus, followed by Clinton scoring again for the hat trick and the 4-4 tie at 5:16. Then, Ursinus’ Reagan Ketchum caught them all with an unassisted goal at 1:16 for the 5-4 halftime lead.

The Bobcats went on a three-goal run early in the third quarter, with scores from senior midfielder Justin Carroll, sophomore attackman Paul Ruppert, and Colegrove again that gave FSU the 7-5 lead.  The Bears kept it close though as DeSimone put up a tally to cut the deficit to 7-6.

Early in the fourth, Clinton put the Bobcats up by two with his fourth goal of the game and an assist from Gross. But Ursinus answered with two goals of their own from Gerald Brown and Bobby McClure as the game was all tied up at 8-8 with 5:49 to go.

However, Jimmy Lucas came through in the clutch for the Bobcats with the go-ahead tally and the 9-8 lead with 3:23 left. The Bobcats would hang on thanks to senior goalie Jack Marks making a clutch save with 45 second left.
Despite the win, FSU had a particularly tough preseason this year with weather and temperature, injuries, and a poor performance in their preseason scrimmage last weekend. “We really needed a great week of practice and preparation last week leading up to this game,” Coach Pearce said, “so this win was really rewarding after this particular preseason.”

Clinton had a remarkable collegiate debut for Frostburg with four goals, so be on the lookout for this guy all season long.  In net, Marks finished with 13 saves, just one shy of tying his career high. Colegrove finished the afternoon with two goals and two assists, while Gross handed out three assists.

As for the opponents, the Bears outshot FSU 38-32 and won 11-of-19 faceoffs. McClure led the Bears with three goals, while DeSimone had two.

The Bobcats return to action on Saturday, Feb. 24, as they travel to Lancaster to face Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m.