Lacrosse: (ASU) Devils split on Calif. trip
Postseason berth might hinge on finale against UA
by Mike Fowler
published on Tuesday, March 22, 2005
For many ASU students, the first weekend of spring break is a time to relax and kick back.
The ASU men's lacrosse club spent it traveling to Southern California and faced two of its three Western Collegiate Lacrosse League divisional opponents in games with serious postseason implications.
The Sun Devils split the pair, losing to No. 14 UC-San Diego and picking up a win against San Diego State.
A sweep would have virtually assured ASU (4-5, 1-1) of a postseason berth. Though the Sun Devils are no longer in the driver's seat, a playoff spot is still tangible.
"That would have made life a lot easier going into the stretch run here," ASU coach Jon Minder said. "We're still alive though."
After keeping pace with the Tritons for most of the game, the Sun Devil defense crumbled, allowing six goals in the final quarter. ASU converted just one of 11 shots in the closing minutes of the 15-9 loss.
"We played really hard for a majority of the game, but a couple of lapses really cost us," Minder said. "The bottom line is that they were able to capitalize and get it done late in the game and we were not."
http://www.statepress.com/issues/2005/0 ... her/692482
