Lacrosse - Men | 9/11/2016 9:48:00 PM

WATERLOO, ON - The Gryphons men's lacrosse team improved to 2-0 on their season with a 12-8 road win over Laurier on Sunday afternoon.

The game was a tale of two halves with the Gryphons struggling in the first but controlling the second. In the first quarter Laurier's offense did little to threaten but managed to maintain long possessions by keeping the ball on the perimeter.  When Guelph gained possession, the offense generated several good opportunities but their shot selection was poor, resulting in turnovers. Laurier found the net twice in the opening quarter and took a 2-1 lead after the first.

In the second quarter, Laurier scored 2 minutes into the frame and then again on the power play to extended its lead to 3. The Gryphons managed to get back on the scoreboard at the 12:28 mark when midfielder Todd Greer (Mulmur, ON) found Brett Ulbikas (Oakville, ON) alone in the middle and Ulbikas buried the opportunity.  However, the Golden Hawks responded quickly to regain their three goal advantage.  It looked as though the Gryphons couldn't generate any momentum.

At 7:30 mark Ulbikas added his second of the game on a feed from Mike Cavanagh (Peterborough, ON).  Less than a minute later the Golden Hawks took a penalty and on the ensuing power play, rookie midfielder Alec Simons (Etobicoke, ON) fired a rocket, top shelf, for his first goal as a Gryphon. One could sense a change in momentum. Less than a minute later Cavanagh found Zack Luis (NOTL, ON) on the wing and Luis ripped it past the Laurier netminder to tie the game at 5. The teams played even for the next few minutes and then Laurier took a 30 second penalty.  While the Gryphons were unable to capitalize with the man advantage, they kept pressure on the Laurier defense.  Moving the ball quickly around the perimeter Simons was left open and fired another canon inside the left post.  With a minute left in the half, Simons had his second goal as a Gryphon and the Gryphons had their first lead of the game.

On the ensuing faceoff the battle for possession ended with Laurier with the ball and 7 seconds on the clock. The Golden Hawks called a time out to set up a final play.  On the whistle Laurier midfielder Chris Ooteghem went one on one with rookie Gryphon longstick midfielder Liam Patten (Barrie, ON) and despite Patten's solid effort, Ooteghem was able to get his hands free and fire a hard shot to score with 1 second left to tie the game at 6.

In the second half, Guelph was clearly a different team. The defense not only shut Laurier down, they repeatedly forced turnovers and pressed the ball forward in transition.  Laurier's offense sputtered under the pressure of Guelph's defense.  At the 14:58 mark, as the result of another forced turnover by Guelph defense, the Gryphons took a 7-6 lead when James Short (Kitchener, ON) ripped out a top corner. 

"We have to commend out defense on their effort today.  They were tenacious, especially in the second half, and that gave our offense a chance to get something going," said Gryphon coach Sam Kosakowski.

The offense never looked back after Short's goal, outscoring Laurier 6-2 in the second half on their way to their 12-8 win.

Seven different players recorded points for the Gryphons; a testament to how well they are distributing the ball.  Ulbikas had 4 goals and 2 assists on the day for Guelph, followed by Zack Luis with 3.  Alec Simons recorded 2 goals and 2 assists while James Short had a pair and an assist and Cavanagh had 1 and 2.  Blaze McCullough and Todd Greer each found the score sheet with assists.

Next Sunday, September 18, the Gryphons will host the Brock Badgers in their home opener.  The two teams have a storied history as the longest rivalry in Canadian university lacrosse.  Their first meeting of the 2016 season won't likely be any different.  Game time is 1pm at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.