University of Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs Lacrosse

Duluth, MN (February 20, 2012) The Bulldogs showed their bite is worse than their bark this past weekend. They opened their 2012 season with a match-up against Marquette University in the St. Paul/Minneapolis are at the Vandais Sports Center, and continued a seven-match stretch of wins. This marks their 7th win in the last seven match-ups.

"We were very focused for Saturday’s game,” said UMD Bulldogs head coach Frank Clark.

The Bulldogs hit the ground with a vengeance against Marquette the instant the game started. . The first quarter started out rough as Marquette was penalized for slashing with 13:52 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs replied with their first goal with McNamara passing to Peterson. The Bulldogs let Marquette know they were there to play as they took the lead 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

#15 Drake Peterson kept the flow going in the Bulldogs’ direction right at the start of the second quarter, scoring again with 13:52 on the clock with a pass from #6 Kevin Gaydos to put them up 8-0. Gaydos scored again at 6:58 on the clock, helping the Bulldogs score twice more in the second quarter, ending the second quarter at 9-0.
Marquette would finally score a goal at in the middle of the third quarter, but again, the Bulldogs answered right back with a few goals of their own. The third quarter ended with UMD still leading 12-2.

“Our greatest strength our team has is our overall athleticism and speed,” said senior captain and #15 Peterson.

The fourth quarter saw the action take another rough turn when a handful of penalties rocked the action. Marquette’s’ #27 Movonty suffered a 30 second interference, and later on,#37 Weiss would have an illegal body check, costing him a one-minute penalty.

The Bulldogs weren’t quite ready to let up on the competition when #10 McNamara passed to #21 Murphy to score the final goal of the game at .10 left on the clock. The Bulldogs scored a total of five goals in the fourth period.

The final score between UMD and Marquette University ended at 17-3.

"Some individual players had great games, but if you look past that, it was unselfish play which allowed us to be effective," said Clark.

The Bulldogs headed into their second divisional match-up immediately the next day against Iowa State University. Once again, they faced their opponent at Vandais Sports Center.

“We took care of business early,” said Clark.

Right away, the Bulldogs took the lead in the first quarter, and they never let up the instant they stepped foot on the field.

“All of our defensive players from last year are returning with more experience and we’re acting more as a cohesive unit,” said #42 Mike Becken.

The first goal was scored at 14:20 by #6 Gaydos, and he continued to show the Bulldogs weren’t going anywhere but towards victory that Sunday afternoon. The duo of #36 Thomas and #6 Gaydos scored two more goals as the quarter played on. #18 Vossen passed to #10 McNamara, adding to the scoreboard for the Bulldogs.

However, they hit a snag in play when too many men took the field, resulting in a 30-second penalty. It didn’t set the Bulldogs back too much as they finished the first quarter in the lead 7-0 against ISU.

The second quarter continued to prove a little tough for the Bulldogs in terms of penalties. #15 Peterson opened the quarter with a goal bringing the Bulldogs’ total score to 8-0. #36 Thomas received a penalty for crosschecking, and captain #42 Becken received one-minute for slashing. Iowa State took advantage of the penalties and came away from the second quarter with a few goals of their own. The second quarter ended with the Bulldogs still with quite a lead 11-2.

#42 Becken found himself in a bit of trouble again in the third quarter with a penalty for unnecessary roughness halfway through the third quarter. However the Bulldogs’ spirit couldn’t be broken as they continued to score another eight goals, bringing the third quarter score to 19-3.

In a last minute attempt with their defense, ISU manned up against the Bulldogs, but it wasn’t enough to stop their streak. The fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs scoring four more goals.

The final score for UMD versus Iowa State was 23-3.

“Taking care of business early allowed us to get some rest on a two game weekend and to play our entire roster for significant time. Those things add up over a season,” said Clark.

With two wins under their belt, the Bulldogs face off again the U of M Gophers next on Saturday, February 25 at noon, and the game is to be played at the U of M Sports Bubble.

The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs named their captains for the 2012 lacrosse season. The Bulldogs officially began practicing for the season January 14, 2012.

Captains for the upcoming season are senior Drake Peterson, senior Matt Madden, senior Mike Becken and senior Joey Slattery.  

“I am very impressed with the leadership this group of captains has put forth.  The four of them make up one of the strongest group of captains I have seen in my years with this program.  They exemplify the work ethic that is the heart of what we do as a team. ,” said Bulldogs assistant head coach, Sam Litman.

When asked about the upcoming season and the competition they are going to face, each captain is highly enthusiastic about the team’s capabilities, even with the grueling schedule ahead.

Drake Peterson, an Ohio native, has been with the Bulldogs for three years. Peterson says, “Our team is extremely experienced. Our greatest strength is our teams’ overall athleticism and speed.”

Peterson also emphasized the players’ abilities to play different roles on the team and do so “at a very fast pace.”

For Matt Madden, it’s his fourth year on the team. Playing middie, he feels the teams’ strength lies with the goalie and the overall defense. “Our attack unit is very strong, which helps a lot,” Madden said.

Returning All-American Defenseman Mike Becken who has been with the Bulldogs for four years also believes in the team’s strong defense. “Along with the seniors, we have a very talented young group of guys that compliment the senior class well,” said Becken.

As of current preseason rankings, the Bulldogs play seven of the top twenty teams. According to the Bulldogs schedule, they play six of those games within a 15-day time span. Currently, the Bulldogs are ranked #15 in the nation by Lacrosse Magazine and #16 by the Inside Lacrosse coaches poll.

In order to keep a strong defense, the team needs to take extra strides to stay healthy this season.

“I believe our biggest challenge this season is our schedule. We have to make sure we stay healthy, and continue to work extra hard on and off the field,” said Becken.

“We probably have one of the toughest schedules in the whole country,” agrees Joey Slattery, who has played for the Bulldogs for three years.

Slattery is a returning two-time All-American Goaltender. Slattery also has high expectations for his team.

“With our strong defense, we should be able to hold the top teams to very few goals, hopefully,” said Slattery.

Each of the Bulldogs captains finds it a privilege and honor to be named leaders for their team.

'Especially when we’ve been chosen by our teammates,” said Slattery.

Assistant coach Litman said,“I’ve enjoyed watching all of these players grow over the past years, and it is exciting to see how far they have come.  Most of all, I can’t wait to see where they can lead this team.”

Head coach Clark added "these guys have great intangibles and that has been recognized by their teammates and our staff. They set great examples for their teammates both on and off the field"

The Bulldogs open their regular season on February 18th against Marquette University at Vandais Sports Center. On February 19th, they face off against Iowa State University.

Stay up-to-date with the Bulldogs Lacrosse team by visiting umdlacrosse.com and @Duluthlacrosse on Twitter.