Seventeen different Mavericks registered one or more points in, a 22-11 win against Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSUP).
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) ball movement was key for them in the victory as they assisted 16 of the 22 goals. Graduate transfer attackman James Booth led all scorers with seven points with two goals and five assists.
The Mavericks freshman attackman AJ Switzer and Jed Brummett combined with Booth for nine goals and seven assists. The Thunderwolves had no answer for the Maverick’s starting attack as they were beating their defenders in one-on-one situations and burying their step-down shots.
Freshman faceoff man Cole Emmanuel controlled the faceoff x winning 19 of 20 and scoring one goal with an assist on the day. The Mavericks won 29 faceoffs in the game playing make-it take-it lacrosse.
“Honestly, I’m surprising myself with how fast I am at the college level, being able to practice with guys like Colin, Lance and Tanner, it’s made me a lot better. That just gives me the opportunity to be able to choose what I do and have more options to try and get the ball,” Emmanuel said.
CMU picked up 62 ground balls as they outworked the Thunderwolves who picked up 20. Each team had 20 or more turnovers with five caused turnovers each, but CSUP’s errant passes resulted in nine turnovers on failed clears.
The first quarter was a battle for the momentum, and the Mavericks took it early in the first with a 4-0 lead. The Thunderwolves were able to respond with a couple of two-goal runs in between CMU’s goals that led them to a 6-4 lead.
Both teams were held scoreless until 8:56 in the third quarter, as the pace of play forced errant passes in set offenses and on clearing attempts. CMU Head Coach Vince Smith called a timeout to calm his guys down, and the Mavericks exploded for seven goals to extend their lead to 18-6. CMU scored four goals following a two-minute non-releasable penalty that allowed the Mavericks to take control of the game.
“I really just wanted us to focus on our discipline, so we wasted a timeout right there, and we brought them back to center and talked a little bit about just being smart and not putting ourselves in a position to really defeat ourselves,” Smith said.
The Thunderwolves outscored the Mavericks 4-5 in the fourth quarter, but it way too little too late. CSUP had five fewer turnovers than CMU in the fourth, and all five of the Thunderwolve’s goals came after the Mavericks turned the ball over.
Senior midfielder/attackman Joe Wulforst IV got back in rhythm against with one goal and three assists.
The Maverick’s next game will be Thursday, Mar. 5 at 4 p.m. against Davenport University in Pueblo, Co.
