The Maverick’s offense got back in the groove to beat Adams State University (ASU) 18-5 win on senior day.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) recognized nine players and volunteer assistant coach and former player, Flynn Ernst. Ernst was on the team during the 2020 season but didn’t have a chance to be recognized in the senior day festivities due to the cancellation of the season due to COVID.
The players that were recognized were redshirt junior defender Duncan Cross, redshirt senior midfielder Jake Keyes and redshirt junior defender Shane Starbuck. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Trent Pernell, redshirt senior attackman Carson Schwark, redshirt junior attackman Blake Amiatu and redshirt junior defender Tanner Stopkoski were also recognized during the ceremony.
The final two players that were recognized during the senior day festivities were graduate student midfielder Jake Brummett and redshirt senior midfielder Anthony Boutwell.
“I think they all almost did a fantastic job. There are nine seniors and I would probably say that 88% of them did a fantastic job for four quarters, they did a fantastic job for three quarters then that last 12% was lost there in the middle somewhere there. Super proud of them, good things happen to good people. Super proud of Tony, super proud of Blake, those guys just having a chance to play the game they love and execute at the level they know they are capable of. Just really proud of them as people,” Head Coach Vince Smith said.
CMU had 13 different players register at least one point in the game. Redshirt sophomore midfielder James Steinke and sophomore midfielder Sergio Pelayo both scored a game-high five points. Both Steinke and Pelayo scored three goals and recorded two assists in the game.
Pernell got the Mavericks on the board first in the game as he got his hands free and fired a shot around his defender into the back of the net with 12:16 left in the first quarter. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Drew Eickelman fired a bounce shot past ASU’s Brendan Williams off an assist from redshirt senior attackman Carson Schwark.
Dawson Balabanoff came back with a goal of his own for ASU as he dodged down the left alley, swam dodged through a double-team and fired a shot bar down while absorbing a hit. Steinke and Pelayo came back with a goal each to give CMU a 4-1 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first quarter.
The Grizzlies held CMU’s offense off the scoreboard after Pelayo’s goal. Pelayo broke the scoring drought with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter to put the Mavericks up by four goals. Schwark scored just 11 seconds later as he swept over the top of the defense, lost his defender and fired a step-down into the back of the net.
Redshirt sophomore attackman Jed Brummett got CMU’s offense going in the second quarter as he caught a pass from Pelayo and turned with a jump shot into the top right corner to go up 7-1. He came back with another goal, this time on the fast break in a one-on-one situation with Williams to put the Mavericks up by seven goals with 6:56 left in the second quarter.
The Mavericks added three more goals in the second quarter with Amiatu scoring two of the three for CMU to go take an 11-1 lead into the halftime break.
“The big story for the offense recently has been, when coach draws it and we listen, it works. When we start doing our individual and kind of get selfish, it doesn’t work. So, we just have to keep believing in the system and keep running it because it works when it does,” Pernell said.
The Grizzlies came out swinging in the third quarter as Brett Carberry scored on a man-up opportunity less than a minute and a half into the quarter. Balabanoff scored his second goal of the game with 11:55 left in the third quarter to bring the Grizzlies within eight goals.
Pelayo came back with his third goal of the game off an assist from Schwark with 8:16 left in the third quarter to put CMU up 12-3. Kyle Coking scored the final goal of the third quarter with 5:34 remaining in the quarter.
Balabanoff scored ASU’s final goal of the game just 33 seconds in the final quarter of the game. Jed Brummett came back with his third goal of the game in transition with tick toe ball movement ending in another jump shot from Brummett finding the top right corner to put CMU up 13-5.
Pernell put the Mavericks up by nine goals with 9:36 left in the game as he ripped a low-angle left-handed shot past Michael Navarro. Steinke scored two consecutive goals for CMU to put them up 16-5 with 1:24 left in the game.
Redshirt senior midfielder Anthony Boutwell scored the final goal of the game with 36 seconds remaining, but it was the one the sideline loved the most. Boutwell was recognized during the senior day festivities, but this was the first goal of his Maverick career.
“That Tony Boutwell goal is a storybook ending. We couldn’t have written it better; it was a great way to end it. It was a good day; it was a little choppy at some points, but it was a good way to send us off. Hopefully not the last game on this field, but it was good,” Pernell said.
CMU outshot ASU in the game as they took 65 shots in the game compared to the 20 for the Grizzlies. The Mavericks controlled the ground ball battle in the game as they picked up 49 ground balls to the Grizzlies’ 26.
Schwark was the Maverick’s third-leading scorer in the game with four points. He scored one goal and dished out three assists in the game.
The Mavericks will play their final regular-season game on Saturday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. against Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.
