PUEBLO, Colo. – Adams State Men's Lacrosse played a tough game in its RMAC opener at CSU-Pueblo on Saturday night but ultimately fell 12-11. The loss puts the Grizzlies at 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the RMAC.
 
The Grizzlies trailed 10-5 going into the fourth period but mounted a furious comeback scoring five straight goals to tie the game at 10-all, but the ThunderWolves (1-0, 1-0 RMAC) closed out the game outscoring the Grizzlies 2-1 to hold on for the win.
 
Adams State was aggressive all night on the offensive end totaling 47 shots overall with 24 coming on goal. CSU-Pueblo put up 35 total shots and had 22 shots on goal. Despite the one-goal loss, Adams State held the edge in nearly every statistical category.
 
Defense was theme to start the game as both squads held each other scoreless for nearly 10 minutes in the first period. The ThunderWolves ended the drought when they got a groundball pickup after Connor Johnson made a save. The loose ball fell in the home team's favor that lead to their first goal of the game with 5:09 to play in the period.
 
CSU-Pueblo pushed its lead to 2-0 with a goal scored with 1:39 to play in the opening frame. The Grizzlies responded exactly 27 seconds later when Jacob Austin scored the team's first goal of the game to cut the deficit to one going into the second period.
 
Offense picked up in the second 15 minutes of action as both squads scored three goals apiece to keep things interesting going into halftime. Austin tied the game at 2-all just 17 seconds into the second period on an assist from Kage Janes.
 
Following the early goal, defense once again picked up on both sides. Austin gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game with 10:02 on the clock. Tanner Beck picked up the assist as the Grizzlies grabbed their first of lead of the game at 3-2.
 
CSU-Pueblo tied the game with 8:30 to play in the first half and it did not take long for the team to retake the lead with another goal with 7:56 to play in the period.
 
The ThunderWolves lead was short lived as Kale Wilson came down the field and scored with 7:07 on the clock to tie the game. His shot came from inside the circle as he and the Grizzlies offense were keeping pace with the ThunderWolves.
 
The final goal of the second period came with just over 5:30 to play in the first half. CSU-Pueblo scored the goal to once again regain a one-goal lead. The home team had some shot opportunities late in the second period but solid play in net from Connor Johnson kept the score at 5-4 going into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, the ThunderWokves took control in the third period scoring five goals and holding Adams State to just one in that span. The ThunderWolves scored their first goal in 19 seconds to get up 6-4.
 
Adams State cut the score back to one at the 10:15 mark of the third thanks in part to a Johnny Rosas goal off the assist from Beck. CSU-Pueblo then responded scoring four straight with the second goal of the period at 9:11 mark to make it a 7-5 game.
 
The ThunderWolves added two more goals in a span of 59 seconds to push their lead to 9-5 with 6:39 to play in the third. The home team's lead remained at four goals for some time until just over two minutes to play they added one more to grab their largest lead of the night, 10-5.
 
The fourth period was dominated by the Grizzlies as they scored five straight goals to claw their way back into the game. They outscored the ThunderWolves 6-2 in the frame but the two goals from the ThunderWolves came late to help them avoid being upset.
 
Kyle Butler found his groove on offense in the fourth and was the spark to the Grizzlies near comeback effort. He scored the team's first three goals of the period to breathe life into the team. His first goal came in the first 25 seconds on the assist from Chase Rodine. Two minutes later Austin found Butler for his second goal to cut the score to 10-7.
 
Butler's final goal was unassisted and came with 8:50 on the clock. His goal cut the Grizzlies deficit to just two goals at 10-8. 35 seconds later Rosas made it a one-goal game as Austin found him for the goal. The game tying goal came at the 6:03 mark when Janes found an open JD Van Arsdall for the goal and tied the game at 10-all.
 
The ThunderWolves finally managed to respond late with a goal at the 3:46 to retake the lead, 11-10. They pushed their lead back to two goals, just under two minutes later to go up 12-10. Wilson scored the Grizzlies final goal with :56 on the clock but they were unable to tie the game.
 
Austin led the way for the Grizzlies offense with three goals and pair of assists. Butler added three points on the night all on goal scoring. Beck, Janes, and Wilson all finished with two points, respectively. Beck and Janes each tallied two assists, while Wilson scored a pair of goals. Johnson played all 60 minutes at goalie and racked up 10 saves on the night.
 
CSU-Pueblo had a trio of players finish with four points each. Anthony Ferrie and Taylor Davis each scored four goals in the win. Caleb Cole tallied three goals and notched an assist for his four points. Tommy Vassallo led the team in assists with two. Colton Rasmussen picked up the win in net and tallied 11 saves in 60 minutes of action.
 
The Grizzlies will have some time off before returning to action. Their next game will be Sunday, March 10 when they host Salve Regina for their 2019 home opener. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the ASU Lacrosse Field.