Bobcats Tripped Up by Elizabethtown, Ending 6-Game Winning Streak

The Frostburg State University (FSU) men’s lacrosse team faced a bump in the road this past Tuesday, losing a 14-10 battle with Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The game was the team’s first loss in the last seven games and only the team’s second loss in the month of March. The Bobcats now sit at 7-2, good for third best in the conference.

The Bobcats had a season-high six-game winning streak prior to Tuesday’s game. The streak began with wins over Eastern and SUNY Oneonta, and continued as FSU won consecutive double digit contests at home over Shenandoah University and Goucher College. The scores were 14-4 and 16-6, respectively.

FSU overwhelmed Shenandoah with a balanced scoring attack that saw five players score two or more goals, along with some stifling defense. The Bobcats forced the Hornets into committing 26 turnovers compared to just 13 of their own. Keeper Jack Marks assisted in the defensive effort with 16 saves.

Against Goucher, the duo of Michael Sipes and Paul Ruppert took center stage. The efforts of the junior standouts alone would’ve been enough to defeat the Gophers, as each player scored five goals. Paul Ruppert followed his impressive performance with five more goals against McDaniel College in a 17-12 victory. Despite the closer score, FSU controlled the game from the opening face-off and never trailed in the wire-to-wire victory.

The final win of the streak came on the road against Widener University. The Bobcats came away with a 12-11 victory thanks to a late rally. The Bobcats trailed by two goals with 7:36 remaining in the game, but late goals from Paul Ruppert, Jason Clinton, and Jordan Edwards propelled the Bobcats to their sixth straight win and a 7-1 record.

Tuesday’s game against Elizabethtown (4-5) ended the streak, but was not without impressive performances. First-year midfielder Matthew Ward scored a game-high four goals and added one assist for FSU.

While many FSU students and faculty were enjoying their spring break, men’s lacrosse took no days off and quietly dominated the opposition. They will look to get back on track with games against Randolph-Macon College this Tuesday and a home game against top-ranked Salisbury University this Saturday. Tuesday’s game will be at Shenandoah University and has a 1 p.m. opening face-off.