PLAYING WITH THE BEST
STOCKTON, Calif. ? If there was ever a tournament for moral victories, this is it. After getting invited to the prestigious NorCal Tournament hosted by Pacific for the first time in a few years, the Lancers were rewarded with an opening game against the nation's top team, California.
The Lancers (10-3) dropped an 11-4 decision to the No. 1 Bears before falling, 14-8, to No. 9 UC San Diego.
The Lancers (10-3) pushed the Bears all over the pool and almost tied the game at the half at 5-5, but missed a five-meter penalty right at the end of the second quarter. The close first-half scare triggered something in the California defense as the Bears held CBU scoreless in the second half and added six goals of their own.
Chris Gwinn,
Jason Bills,
Chris Morgan and
Aaron Steiger all scored solo goals. Bills also assisted on a goal while Morgan notched a steal.
Zach Bowman posted nine saves in the loss and also recorded a steal.
“We played pretty well against the No.1 team in the nation,” said Rowland. “If we don't the miss the penalty shot at the end of the half we might be in a different position especially with momentum on our side. We were just trying to keep them under 17 goals and we more than exceeded that.”
Against UCSD, the Tritons jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. CBU trailed 8-5 at the half and 11-8 at the end of the third, but UCSD blanked the Lancers in the final quarter while scoring three.
Steiger,
Alan Ogden and
Norbert Karoly all netted a pair of goals while
Brent Troutman and
Peter Hines each scored single goals.
Morgan added a pair of assists while
Tommy Hunter and
Jeff Woolstenhulme each dished out an assist as well. Woolstenhulme, Steiger,
Nick Janzen and Troutman all recorded one steal.
Bowman notched four saves and also added four steals and an assist.
The Lancers might be able to credit the losses to poor 6-on-5 conversions. On the day, CBU was just 2-for-12 in 6-on-5 opportunities. California Baptist was just 1-for-5 against California and 1-for-7 against the UCSD.
“We struggled a little bit more against UCSD especially after we got into foul trouble,” said Rowland. “Ogden and Morgan both fouled out and we were missing Bills so we got hurt in depth. When you miss 20 shots, it's tough to beat people.”
The Lancers were without the service of Bills after the team had received word that Bills' mother, Patty, was in a car accident near the city of Fresno, Calif., where the family resides.
“We are really asking the CBU family for prayer right now,” said Rowland. “All of our hearts and prayers are with the Bills' family. This is such a tough thing for a young man to go through. Jason has been through a lot and now his mom is fighting for her life.”
