ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Adams State Men's Lacrosse team defended home turf today against the Davenport Panthers in a back and forth game. Battling hard, the Grizzlies fought to keep themselves in the game and forced a close score game.
 
Kicking things off for the Grizzlies was their current offensive leader, Jacob Austin, who scored an unassisted in the first two minutes of the game. After a few turnovers on both ends, the Panthers would tie things back up in the ninth minute of the game. Tim Crouse was quick to change things, setting up Kyle Butler and allowing Butler to put one in the back of the net. DU countered again, less than a minute later, but Chase Rodine would put the Grizzlies on top with just a minute left in the 1^st quarter. With Rodine's goal, the Grizzlies came out of the quarter leading 3-2.
 
The Grizzlies started the 2^nd quarter the same way they began the 1^st, scoring the first goal of the quarter. Defenseman Terry Trudgian got the honor off a successful clear attempt from ASU, Trudgian helped to take it down field and the long-pole fired a shot that hurried to hit the back of the net. Minutes later, Crouse, set up by Butler who had gotten an assist from Crouse earlier, put one in the back of the net himself, the two cashing in on the chemistry they seem to have on the field together. Not even ten seconds later, the Panthers countered, the back and forth continuing through the quarter until the Panthers cut the deficit to 1. Coming out of the 2^nd quarter, the Grizzlies were leading 6-5.
 
Starting things off in the 3^rd quarter was Nick Selfridge, assisted by Tim Crouse. DU continued to counter for every goal that the Grizzlies scored, multiple Grizzlies putting one in the back of the net. Connor Kuykendall, the main FOGO man for the day, scored his first goal of the season and collegiate career off his own face-off win, going in towards the cage and doing it all himself. JD Van Arsdall scored his first goal for the season and the last of the game for the Grizzlies. Arsdall was the last Grizzly to score before the Panthers would go on a 6-goal run to take the game, handing the Grizzlies a 10-13 loss.
 
8 different Grizzlies scored today, Austin leading the offense with a hat-trick. Crouse led the team in assists, accounting for 2 out of the 5 total assists the team had. The team combined for 31 shots, 17 of which were on goal.
 
Defensively, Trudgian led the team with a goal, an assist, and two caused turnovers. Helping him was Matt Fuss and Colin Osterhout, who both caused two turnovers each, and were key in transitions. The defense helped to complete 18 out of 19 successful clears, which were key for offensive possession. Face-offs were also important for offense, and Kuykendall won a decent amount of them, helping the Grizzlies win 11 of 26 faceoffs. Brendan Williams stood tall in the cage, adding 9 saves to his collegiate career.
 
The game was a tough one to swallow considering the Grizzlies were leading for a good portion of the contest. With the loss, the Grizzlies move to an overall record of 0-4. Although it may not be the start to the season they want, the Grizzlies won't be deterred from continuing to fight to get themselves more known and recognized by other Lacrosse teams. They'll continue to build a tradition and new legacy, forcing people to Be About It.