Fort Collins, CO – The #1 Colorado State Rams started fast and never looked back, scoring seven goals in the first quarter, taking a 10-0 halftime lead and eventually finishing off the University of Washington 20-1 on Wednesday evening on campus at Colorado State University. The Rams played every single active member of the roster for extended minutes in their first on-campus home game of the season as they moved their record to 9-0 for the second consecutive season.
CSU’s offense found its stride early in the contest, getting goals on possession after possession through patient ball movement and opportunistic dodging. By the time the dust settled on the first half, CSU had ten goals while holding Washington to just seven shots. The Rams rang up 48 shots on the evening to UW’s 16 total.
The going was made easier by another dominant performance at the face-off ‘x’ by CSU as the team won 18 of 24 draws, including 9 of 11 in the first half alone. Freshman Brian Roach (Wheat Ridge HS / Westminster, CO) was outstanding, winning 8 of his 9 face-off opportunities. Couple the face-off work with a smothering ride that held UW to just 12 of 22 on the clear and eventually the Rams wore down the young and injury-riddled Huskies.
16 different players found themselves in the points column, including 10 multi-point contributors in a very spread scoring effort. Freshman Gus Brunger (Castle View HS / Castle Rock, CO) had a career high 3 goals and 1 assist while sophomore Sean Smith led the Rams in points with 1 goal and 4 assists.
All four active goalies got minutes in the game as well as the Rams substituted liberally throughout the contest. CSU’s man-up unit was nearly perfect, scoring on five of six opportunities in their best performance of the season.
Next up for CSU (9-0 overall, 0-0 RMLC) is a date with #4 Cal Poly on Friday night. Poly comes to town with a 6-1 overall record, including a victory over then #1 and defending national champion Brigham Young earlier in the season. The Rams defeated Cal Poly 10-8 in San Luis Obispo, CA last February and are 2-1 all-time against the Mustangs. The Huskies fall to 1-7 on the season and will have ten days off before resuming PNCLL conference play at the end of the month.