Blog Post #4

Bobcats positioned well for a post-season run

Over the past two weeks, the Bobcats have gone 3-0. This run started by defeating No. 14-ranked Seton Hill on April 17; their first-ever win against the Griffins with a score 17-9. The game clock had only ticked down seven seconds before the Bobcats first goal from Austin Sipes. As the Griffins tried scratching back, Sipes pulled out a behind the back shot to put the Bobs in the lead. After the first 15 minutes of play, the game was all tied up 4-4. Chase Buckwalter had been quiet in the first quarter, but Justin Hulse found him for a goal for the Bobs to go up by one in the second quarter. Seton Hill came back and scored two, recapturing the lead, 5-6. However, the Bobcats would rally late in the second to take a four-goal lead into halftime, 10-6. Although the Griffins scored first in the third quarter, that did not discourage Frostburg State in the slightest as they maintained their lead at the end of the third quarter, 12-9. Six minutes of the final quarter went by without any team scoring. Owen McCallum put an end to this short-lived drought and started the first of five unanswered goals in the quarter to lead the Bobcats to victory. Sipes finished with seven points on six goals with one assist, Buckwalter had five points and an assist, and lastly, Bubba Love had two goals and two assists. In the cage, Nate Jones dominated the net by saving 13 of 22 shots on target. Alex Walstrum and Jashane Uter won 18 of the 29 faceoffs in the circle and joined forces to compile 19 groundballs. The video below provides highlights of this marquee win for the Bobs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX-5Bb1fVvk

Coming off the Seton Hill win, Frostburg State traveled to Buffalo, NY on April 20 to capture another tally in the dub column against D’Youville. The Mountain Men came out on top against the Saints with a final score of 14-10. The Bobcats started off the game by scoring first with a goal from Tyler Dooley. It was not long before the Saints had an answer to tie up the game with a goal of their own. At the end of the first quarter, the Bobs led 7-4. At the start of the second Love scored off an unfortunate faceoff penalty by the Saints. With 10 seconds left in the first half, Sipes shot and scored for Frostburg to lead at the half. Due to penalties, unsuccessful clears, and many missed shots, neither team had scored in the first six minutes of the second half. D’Youville then brought their deficit to only three, making the score 10-7. The duo of Sipes and Buckwalter each got a goal of their own to extend the lead further. The Saints were not ready to give up, however, and slung two goals past Jones to go into the final 15 minutes of the game. Because of a Frostburg penalty at the end of the third frame, D’Youville had a man-up opportunity to build on their scoring to only be down 12-10. To send the Bobcats back on the long bus ride home with another victory, Sipes and McCallum ended the game with a goal each. Three of the Bobcats conquered milestones in the matchup. Seamus Kearney achieved 100 career caused turnovers, Sipes grabbed 100 career goals, and Buckwalter attained 100 career points. Goal leaders in te game included Sipes (5), Buckwalter (3), McCallum (3), and three other Bobcats added a goal each. Dishing out the assists were Dooley (4) and Love (3). On the defensive end, Kearney and Luke McCullough forced 10 groundballs. Kearney also had a pair of caused turnovers.

April 27 marked Senior Day and the Bobcats final regular season game. No fewer than nine of the Bobcats were celebrated during the game against UDC. The graduating seniors are Ryan Tyler, Uter, Sipes, Brady Crumbacker, Parker Masters, Nick Agresta, McCullough, Dooley, and Evan Dere. Powered by their seniors, the Bobcats picked up a dominant 30-1 win.

With these three wins, Frostburg State ends the regular season with a 12-3 record.

Senior Spotlight

During the last couple weeks, each of the seniors was asked about how their time at Frostburg State had impacted them and what they will miss. Here is what they had to say...

Ryan Tyler: “I would say my time at Frostburg helped me to learn how to better manage my time with a busy schedule and it helped me to make connections with so many amazing people throughout not just my academics but also through athletics. I will definitely miss small things with my team like going to get food or just hanging out with them, but they’ve helped me grow so much as a person that I will remember those little things forever and I’m always thankful for them.”

Jashane Uter: “Frostburg changed me and taught me resilience and the value of a community. I will miss the mountains, campus life, and supportive professors. The supportive faculty and staff have guided me through both academic and personal growth. I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

Austin Sipes: “I really enjoyed my time here, and Frostburg exceeded my expectations. I will miss all of my teammates, coaches, and the people I have met along the way. This place and the memories it holds will be unforgettable.”

Brady Crumbacker: “My time at Frostburg has given me the opportunity to create new lifelong friendships and provided guidance throughout my professional career. I will miss the team comradery and game days.”

Parker Masters: “My time at Frostburg has helped me to mature and make me realize I am capable of doing things on my own and making my own decisions. Being here during Covid has made me value my friendships and teammate interaction even more. I am definitely more confident and a better communicator. I will miss the relationships that I have made with my professors, coaches, mentors, friends, and teammates.”

Nick Agresta: “My time at Frostburg has helped me grow as a person and build skills that will help me in life after I graduate. Since I transferred in two years ago, I have been able to build comradery with my fellow teammates and make countless friendships. The biggest thing that I will miss is playing without this group of seniors next year.”

Luke McCullough: “Being a team captain the past two years has taught me so much. These guys are my family, and I will miss them. My favorite memory at Frostburg would have to be running five 17’s in Halloween costumes while Monster Mash played in the speakers. Frostburg will be a place I never forget!”

Tyler Dooley: “Frostburg is a place very special to me. I have learned so much playing lacrosse here, not only as a player, but as a person. I could choose from millions of memories, but the ones that stick out to me will always be bus rides with the team. They are my brothers, and I will miss them lots.”

Evan Dere: “Coming from so far away, Frostburg has been a blessing to me. It sure was a cultural shock, but I would not trade this mountain for anything. There are so many memories I have made, but most of them are when all of the boys and I rip Livvy’s!”

Seniors, thank you for showing your true Mountain Man and staying loyal to Planting The Flag. You will be missed!