The Cougars would like to invite you to the 1st Annual CSUSM Lacrosse Golf Tournament & Fundraiser at Twin Oaks Golf Club on Sunday, July 19th.

Join us for 18 holes, Dinner, Awards, Raffle, and Auction.

For tickets and more information please head to our Eventbrite page.

If you or your business would like to be a sponsor, please see our sponsorship brochure and contact Alex Brown at alexbrown732@gmail.com.

Go Cougars!

Six members of the 2015 Cougars have been selected to the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference’s 1st, 2nd, and All-Freshman teams.

Attackman #23 Austin Jenkin (So) – 1st Team All-Conference
In his sophomore campaign, Jenkin led the nation (along with teammate Cade Vlacos) with 106 points. Jenkin surpassed last season’s 80-point performance and is on a prolific scoring pace, one that would put him among the MCLA’s all-time leaders if he maintains his performance over the next two seasons. #23 was the Cougars’ offensive catalyst in 2015, capable of creating offense for himself and his teammates in key situations. Jenkin’s standout performances this season include: (2/21) at Occidental, when he scored two goals and had a career-high seven assists in a 12-10 victory; (3/8) vs Fort Lewis, Jenkin scored four goals and 3 assists against the then #21 ranked Skyhawks, a 13-11 victory which catapulted the Cougars into the national top 25 rankings; (4/3) at JWU Denver, he scored a career-high 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in a 24-9 win.

Attackman #7 Cade Vlacos (Fr) – 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-Freshman
Freshman attackman Cade Vlacos was a crucial piece to San Marcos’ offensive success in 2015. His 106 points were tied for 1st in the country with fellow Cougar Austin Jenkin. Vlacos’ ability to score made him a nightmare for defenses, and someone who had to be taken into account as another major threat along with Jenkin. Vlacos has had many great performances this season, including: (3/7) a five goal, three assist day in a 12-8 win at NAU; (3/8) vs Fort Lewis, Vlacos had four goals and four assists in a 13-11 victory; (4/4) in the Cougars’ 4th game in Colorado, Vlacos had two goals and five assists in a 13-12 victory against Metro State.

Defenseman #6 Jesus Rojas (Sr) – 2nd Team All-Conference
Senior defenseman Jesus Rojas has been the anchor of the San Marcos defense for each of his four years as a Cougar. Assigned to the opposition’s biggest offensive threat every game, Rojas became one of the premier on-ball defenders in the SLC. While quantitative statistics for defensemen are not recorded in the MCLA, Rojas played his best games when it mattered most, including in victories against NAU (3/7), Fort Lewis (3/8), and UCSD (4/18).

Long-Stick Midfielder #11 James Delaney (Sr) – 2nd Team All-Conference
Senior LSM James Delaney finished his four-year collegiate lacrosse career with his best season. A ground-ball machine, Delaney scooped up a career-high 125 ground balls in 2015, and was crucial to face-off specialist Iain Holman’s success. Delaney was also a spark on the offensive side, finishing the season with five goals and three assists. His goal late in the 4th quarter against UC Santa Cruz sparked a two-goal comeback by the Cougars, who went on to win the game 13-12 after scoring three in the game’s last 2 minutes.

Attackman #8 Adnan Swilley (Fr) – 1st Team All-Freshman
Adnan Swilley was the Cougars quarterback in 2015, the on-the-field manager of the nation’s 3rd-highest scoring offense. He ran the offense from “x,” and was key in creating opportunities for his fellow attackman to succeed.  Among Swilley’s best games this season were: (2/21) at Occidental, Swilley scored three goals and one assist in a 12-10 Cougar victory; (3/31) at Regis, #8 put in three goals and had eight assists in a 20-9 win; (4/18) at UCSD in the SLC game of the week, Swilley had five goals and one assists. Along with Jenkin and midfielder Ian Hooks, Swilley was named the “player of the game.”

Face-off Specialist #2 Iain Holman (Fr) – 1st Team All-Freshman
As a freshman, Holman was a leader on the field for the Cougars in 2015. His effort was infectious and significantly contributed to every one of the Cougars wins. Starting the season as a true midfielder and secondary face-off man, Holman stepped up when primary FOS Austin Halligan was injured early in the season and deemed out for the remainder of 2015. Holman did not miss a beat, winning 68% of the face-offs he took. His standout performances include: (2/14) vs UC Santa Cruz with the Cougars down by one goal with 2:14 left in regulation, Holman won the face-off and took it to the cage himself, scoring the tying goal with 1:57 remaining. He won the ensuing face-off and got the ball to attackman Cade Vlacos, who put in the winning tally shortly thereafter; Holman dominated in the March 8th contest against Fort Lewis, when he won 20 of 25 face-offs and recovered 17 ground balls in a 13-11 Cougar win.

Cal State San Marcos hosted a playoff game for the first time ever on Sunday, taking on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in the SLC quarterfinal round. The two teams faced off in March, when the Cougars traveled to Flagstaff and defeated NAU, 12-8. The match up was also a rematch of last season’s SLC quarterfinal, which saw the Lumberjacks defeat the Cougars, 13-10.

Senior midfielder Ian Hooks

The Cougars came alive in the 2nd quarter following a tightly contested and low scoring 1st. Sparked by NAU penalties and freshman midfielder Iain Holman, who rattled off three goals in a row, the Cougars tallied eight scores in the 2nd.  Just when it seemed the Cougars hit their offensive stride, the country’s leading scorer #23 Austin Jenkin, went down with a leg injury. Jenkin, who has been a major offensive catalyst for the Cougars this season, did not return to the game after scoring one goal through just under two quarters.

Coming out of the halftime break with a 10-5 lead, the loss of Jenkin was felt considerably on the offensive side of the field. The Lumberjacks stifled the San Marcos offense, allowing just one goal in the second half of play. The home team was bit again by the injury bug early in the 3rd quarter when defensive play-maker Darius Talley was sidelined for the remainder of the game. The Lumberjacks took advantage of their opportunities and piled up six goals in the 3rd and two in the 4th, ending the game on a 7-0 run.

Freshman defenseman Alex Brown

“We made too many mental mistakes in the second half. We were impatient, committed unnecessary penalties, and didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had to stop the bleeding. Obviously this was a very disappointing way to send off our seniors.” said Head Coach Teddy Hicks following the game. “We’re going to sit on this one for a little while and learn from our mistakes, then we’re going to get back to work getting ready for next season.”

As part of the first 4-year graduating class for San Marcos, senior captain Hetor Torres was asked to reflect on the game and his career as a Cougar; “Unfortunately the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to. We gave this one up, which is a tough way to lose. Despite the loss, we had a great season and I enjoyed every second of it. Coming into college having never played the sport before, I fell in love with lacrosse and couldn’t be more thankful to have the opportunity to lead this team as a captain. Everyone around here knows how limitless our program’s potential is, and I am very excited to see what happens in the future.  Nothing can compare to being on this team and stepping onto the field with the guys every day. All Coug Everything.”

The SLC and national powerhouse #6 Concordia Eagles (8-0) were hosts for the Cougars’ eighth game of the season on Saturday. Both teams came into the contest with identical 7-0 records, but the Eagles proved to be too tough for the Cougars, as they ran away with it, 19-4. The Eagles have dominated most challengers this season, taking down multiple MCLA Division I opponents, including: #4 Chapman, #23 UCLA, USD, and LMU.

The Cougars look to bounce back this weekend as they host Nevada (1-0), who will be finishing up a three-game swing through Southern California. The game will be at Fallbrook High School on Saturday at 2:00 pm.

For the first time in the young program’s history, Cal State San Marcos has been ranked as one of the top 25 teams in the nation. The Under Armour Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll is published weekly throughout the season, with teams in Division I and II ranked by the coaches in their respective division. After wins last weekend against Northern Arizona and #21 Fort Lewis brought them to 7-0, the coaches recognized the Cougars’ excellent play thus far in the 2015 season and awarded them the number 21 spot. San Marcos is a member of the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference, which features two other teams in the top 25: Concordia University at #6, and Cal State Fullerton, who came in at #10 .

Assistant Coach Chase Allvord, who is also the program’s founder, expressed his great satisfaction with the release of Tuesday’s poll, “This is accomplishment is a testament to all of the hard work every student-athlete, coach, and staff member has put into this program from the beginning. Everyone who has been involved with this team since 2010 should be very proud of this milestone. I cannot wait to see what the next 5 years has in store for us.”

The Cougars traveled to Flagstaff, AZ on Friday for a round robin-style weekend against Northern Arizona University and #21 Fort Lewis College.  Following # 13 Cal State Fullerton’s 14-7 win over #21 Fort Lewis, San Marcos took on the Lumberjacks in a rematch of last season’s first-round SLC playoff match-up which saw NAU come out victorious, 13-10.

#7 Clade Vlacos and #23 Austin Jenkin teamed up for 8 goals on Saturday

With remnant snowfall covering portions of the field, the Cougars played what was their most complete and balanced game of the season thus far, winning the rematch 12-8.  Attackmen Cade Vlacos and Austin Jenkin again stole the show on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 8 of the team’s 12 goals. Vlacos attrbutes his success to the offensive unit working in concert, “The off-ball timing was there for us today. It has taken us a few games to get to this point, but we really gelled as a unit. Everyone was working at full-speed and taking advantage of the opportunities as they came.” San Marcos took a 6-3 lead into halftime and remained in the driver’s seat for the duration of the afternoon, building to as much as a 6-goal lead in the 4th quarter.  “We were patient with the ball, we didn’t force looks and took advantage when they came. Our effort on the ride and time of possession wore down at their defense all afternoon  and created a lot of chances in the second half.” Vlacos finished with a game-high 8 points on 5 goals and 3 assists.

#6 Jesus Rojas slides to help #17 Luke Hoerer

Not to be outdone, the Cougars’ defense really demonstrated their ability to play shut-down lacrosse in settled situations, holding the Lumberjacks 5 goals under their average of 13.5 goals per game. Consistently assigned to the opponent’s standout attackman, senior defenseman Jesus Rojas led his defense in shutting down a dangerous Lumberjacks’ offense. When asked what has made the defense successful, Rojas said, “We haven’t done anything special. We’re playing solid as a unit because individually everyone is doing what is expected of them to make us successful. Our communication is getting better, and we’ve been improving on our slides and recoveries all season.”

San Marcos faced off against #21 Fort Lewis in the early game on Sunday morning. With each team playing their second game in as many days, the squad from Durango, CO seemed to be better acclimated to the elevation than the Cougars. When asked what impact the unusual elevation had on his team, Coach Hicks said, “We were definitely taking account for it as coaches. Substitutions needed to be quick and more frequent than we’re used to, but we have been doing heavy conditioning work since fall so we knew we would be able to play at a high level. The boys came out and played hard, they were not going to make any excuses.” Freshman midfielder Iain Holman was a standout at the face-off “X”, winning possession for the Cougars on 20 of 25 contests and scooping up an astonishing 17 ground balls. Holman has stepped up in a huge way following a season-ending injury to freshman face-off specialist Austin Halligan, taking the vast majority of the team’s face-offs.

#2 Iain Holman dominated the face-off match-up

The Cougars took a 6-5 lead into halftime in what was a tightly contested, lead-swapping first half. Fort Lewis came out hot in the 3rd quarter, scoring 2 quick goals to take a 7-6 lead. San Marcos responded in a big way, finishing the 3rd quarter on a 4-1 run and taking a 10-8 lead into the 4th. The two teams traded scores in the 4th and Cougars held on to win, 13-11. After the game Coach Hicks expressed his great pleasure with the way his team played over the weekend and during the course of the first month of the season, “We had a solid game plan coming into each match-up and the guys executed very well. We have won a few close games so far this season, I think that will help us down the road once we get closer to the playoffs. The games are just going to get tougher and tougher, there is still a lot of lacrosse left and much for us to improve.”

San Marcos will take on undefeated divisional opponent #9 Concordia Univeristy (7-0) on Saturday, March 14th.

Cal State San Marcos hosted the UC Irvine Anteaters (1-6) on Sunday in their second divisional game of the season. The Cougars now lead the all-time series between the two teams 3 games to 1 after defeating the Anteaters handily, 18-8.

#15 Scotte Susalla

San Marcos began the rainy Sunday afternoon with an offensive charge. Freshman attackman Adnan Swilley got the scoring kicked off with a goal on the Cougars’ first possession, followed by a helper to midfielder Chance Stahura (Jr) on the next.  Irvine stayed in the game for the first half, scoring five while keeping San Marcos to just one goal in the the second quarter, making the score 7-5 at halftime.

The Cougars came out strong in the second half, as senior Jesus Rojas and the rest of the defensive unit stifled the Anteaters offense, creating multiple chances for the Cougars to capitalize. Attackman Austin Jenkin (who was named SLC player of the week for last weekend’s performance against Occidental) took advantage of the opportunities, scoring 4 of his 5 goals in the second half.

#22 Rashid Jones scored 3 goals on Sunday

San Marcos travels to Flagstaff, AZ this weekend to take on the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks and Fort Lewis Skyhawks of the RMLC. NAU knocked the Cougars out in the first round of the SLC playoffs last season in a snowy contest that ended 13-10.

Sophomore attackman Austin Jenkin was named SLC DII player of the week for his career-high, 7 assist performance last week against Occidental College. Jenkin, who earned 1st Team All-Conference and All-Freshman honors following the 2014 campaign, looks to maintain his high-scoring ways alongside a revamped attack line including freshman Cade Vlacos (Foothill) and Adnan Swilley (San Marcos).

The article can be read here.

San Marcos traveled to Los Angeles on Saturday to take on the Occidental Tigers (2-2) in a rematch of last season’s 17-10 Cougar victory. Saturday’s contest turned out to be a much closer game, as the teams with back and forth for four quarters, with neither team scoring more than two goals unanswered until the final minutes of the contest

#27 Austin Halligan (Fr)

The Cougars went into halftime with a 5-4 lead on the back of big efforts from attackmen Austin Jenkin (So) and Adnan Swilley (Fr), who worked in tandem to have a hand in four of the Cougars’ five first-half tallies. The second half did not prove any more effective in identifying a superior team, as the teams went blow for blow until a 9-9 tie was broken late in the 4^th.

#23 Austin Jenkin (So)

Austin Jenkin answered the Tigers’ tying goal immediately, with an outstanding individual effort to give the Cougars a late advantage. San Marcos scored two more unanswered goals to take a 12-9 lead, and held on to win the game 12-10. The Cougars will play their 2nd divisional game of the season when they take on the UC Irvine Anteaters (1-4) at Fallbrook High School on Sunday, March 1st.

The Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz visited San Marcos on Saturday to play the final contest of the Cougars’ three-game home stand. Coming off a win last weekend against Saint Mary’s, San Marcos rode a wave of momentum into a big game against another strong WCLL opponent.

Midfielder Ian Hooks (Sr) got the scoring kicked off early in the 1st with an isolation drive from the restraining line. The Banana Slugs answered quickly however, and kept the game close throughout the opening quarter. The game broke open in the 2nd, when the Banana Slugs were penalized for an illegal stick. The Cougars took advantage, scoring 3 unanswered goals on man-up and taking a 9-5 lead into halftime.

San Marcos came out flat in the 3rd quarter, allowing five goals to Santa Cruz while only scoring one. A 10-10 score at the start of the fourth set the stage for a fantastic finish.

#11 James Delaney (Sr) brings the Cougars within one late in the 4th

The Slugs took an 11-10 lead with a goal early in the 4th, and maintained that lead into the late stages of the game. The Cougars found themselves man-down with four minutes to go when Santa Cruz scored an insurance goal, seemingly putting the game away up by two with just over three minutes to play. Following a defensive stand as the clock passed the 2:30 mark, senior LSM James Delaney picked up a groundball and charged down the field in transition. Knowing he had attackmen to back up the shot, Delaney fired from just inside the restraining box and scored on a beautiful bouncer to the top-shelf.

With momentum they hadn’t seen since the 2nd, the Cougars looked again to freshman midfielder Iain Holman to make a play. Taking the face-off with 2:14 to go, Holman won the ball and took it to the cage himself, scoring from the doorstep and tying the game up with 1:57 to go in regulation.

The Banana Slugs made a big mental mistake moments after the Cougars tied the game, committing a delay of game penalty and giving San Marcos a 30-second man advantage with 1:47 left. The Cougars took advantage again, as attackman Cade Vlacos (Fr) scored the game-winning goal on a drive from behind the cage with 1:21 remaining.

#2 Iain Holman (Fr) ties the game at 12

“It was a total team effort. We dug ourselves a bit of a hole, but I think everyone felt like we were going to pull it out. We got it together just in time and everyone did their part.” Midfielder Iain Holman stated after the game. San Marcos will take to the road this weekend, as they travel to Los Angeles to face Occidental (2-1) on Saturday, February 21st.

The Cougars played host to the Gaels of Saint Mary’s on Sunday afternoon, a rematch of last season’s tight contest which saw the Gaels come out victorious, 18-17. San Marcos was determined to make a statement in this important non-conference match up, and they made one in the form of a resounding, 17-12 win.

Saint Mary’s started the day off jumping in front with a quick goal, but the Cougars responded promptly. Scoring four goals in the first quarter, the San Marcos offense looked to continue where it left off after last week’s 19 goal performance against Long Beach. The Gaels were poised and ready to answer however, as they held the Cougars to just two tallies in the second quarter, taking a 6-6 tie into halftime.

#2 Iain Holman (Fr)

San Marcos came out firing to start the second half, scoring 6 in the third quarter and taking a 12-8 lead into the fourth. The output was sparked by outstanding efforts from midfielders Iain Holman (Fr) and Austin Halligan (Fr), who dominated play at the face-off “x” and provided consistent scoring opportunities for the San Marcos offense. “We were stoked to see the team come out of the break and bounce back after a rough second quarter. Being able to suppress our opponent’s momentum and bounce back was something we struggled to do consistently last year, and we are looking to make it more of a trend this season. Iain and Austin were real difference makers for us; they out-hustled everyone on the field and came up with some huge plays.” Coach Hicks said on Sunday evening, speaking about his team’s resiliency and effort.

The Cougars will take on another WCLL squad, the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, on Saturday, February 14th. The Slugs will be playing their first game of the 2015 season, coming off a 4-10 (3-3) campaign in 2014.

Cal State San Marcos opened the 2015 campaign with a 19-6 victory over Cal State Long Beach on Saturday.

After their first trip to the playoffs last season, the Cougars are poised and ready to make noise in the SLC again this year. With a talent-laden roster including a 12-man freshman class and 4 returning seniors, San Marcos looks to improve on the 2014 one-and-done postseason and make a run at the SLC DII championship.

San Marcos started off the day with their foot on the gas, and did not let off all afternoon. A revamped attack line featuring returning standout Austin Jenkin (Fallbrook HS) dominated the 49ers defense. Jenkin and freshman Clade Vlacos (Foothill HS) led in scoring with 7 points each, followed by Adnen Swilley (San Marcos HS) who added on 5 tallies to the young group’s total.

#8 Adnan Swilley (Fr)

“We have invested a lot of time in previous off-seasons recruiting the right guys in order to keep building this program. With the output we saw from them today, we’re only just beginning to see the dividends. I’m really excited about this season and the future of this program.” Coach Hicks said after the game on Saturday, when asked about his impressive freshman class.

It wasn’t all about the new weapons Coach Hicks has in his arsenal on Saturday. Senior LSM James Delaney (Mt. Carmel) looks to continue in his 4^th and final season as an impact player in all facets of the game. Whether scooping up ground balls after face offs or creating turnovers and fast break opportunities, Delaney was all over the field on Saturday.

The Cougars continue their three-game home stand on Sunday, February 8^th against Saint Marys of the WCLL. The two teams met last season in a tight game that saw the Gaels come out victorious, 18-17.

Today marks the first day of the 2014-2015 school year, and the beginning of a new CSUSM Lacrosse team. While the Cougs did not have ANY graduating Seniors, there are many new recruits coming out and we look forward to an amazing Fall semester.

Here are the important upcoming dates for recruits, returning players, and anyone looking to learn more about CSUSM Lacrosse:

Fall Informational Meeting – 10:30am, September 5 at The Clarke Fieldhouse

Tryouts Day One – 7:00am, September 11, at The Lower Field

Tryouts Day Two – 10:30am, September 12, at The Lower Field

Tryouts Day Three – 9:00am, September 13, at The Multi-Purpose Field

Tryouts Day Four – 10:00am, September 14, at The Lower Field

Please email csusmlax@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Go Cougs!

CSUSM 13 – Long Beach 1

The Cougars went up to Orange County, CA last Wednesday to face CSU Long Beach in a game with playoff implications.  CSUSM was 1-1 against Long Beach and was expecting a hard fought game from the 49ers. The Cougs got off to a great start by burying five goals in the first quarter and keeping Long Beach scoreless through the half.  The attack unit continues to impress with six goals from Freshman, Austin Jenkin, and four from Captain, Dylan Perry.

After a rough loss to #14 Concordia, the Cougs came out hungry and ready to play against Long Beach.  The Defense stood strong and only allowed one goal the entire game.  Freshman Goalie, Andrew Castillo had eight saves.

The Cougars took on #12 Fullerton on Sunday, March 23 at CSUSM.

CSUSM 6 – Concordia 19

The Cougars faced another set of Eagles this past weekend as Concordia came down to San Marcos for an SLC match up.  Concordia is the defending conference champion and the Cougs knew that it would be a tough game.  The game started with a couple easy goals by Concordia but CSUSM was able to respond and keep the game close coming into the second quarter.  In the second, the Cougs brought the game within one goal, but Concordia continued to execute on their possessions and racked up seven goals to bring the score to 11-5 at the half.

Some crucial injuries really hindered the Coug offense and allowed Concordia to slip away through the second half.  The CSUSM attack were all able to score, but the midfield unit still struggled to find the back of the net.  Coach Hicks briefly stated after the game that, “we knew what to expect and we felt like we made the right adjustments, but we couldn’t manage to execute.  Penalties and injuries really shot us in the foot too.  The guys know the game plan, and I think we are ready to bounce back and take on Long Beach on Wednesday.

The Cougars travel to Orange County tomorrow night to face the Long Beach  49er’s at 7:00pm.  The game will be at Long Beach State.  The Cougars are 1-1 overall against the 49er’s.

CSUSM 17 – Occidental 10

The Cougars traveled to Temecula, CA, this past weekend to participate in Great Oak High School’s College Night and take on the Occidental Tigers.  With torrential rains throughout Southern California, both teams were prepared for a wet one.  Just as expected, the rain started to pour down during pre-game warmups.  The CSUSM roster is entirely comprised of Southern California residents, so playing in the rain is not something that many of Cougs had experience before.  Regardless, CSUSM brought tenacity and vigorous energy from the very first whistle.

With three early goals from Occidental, Coach Hicks called a timeout to talk over the early mistakes.  After that, the Cougs came out firing and didn’t stop until the very end.   The game was evenly matched through the entire first half, but the Cougs took a one goal lead at the very end of the second quarter.  This energy boost carried through halftime and the Cougars were ready to roar in second half.  CSUSM outscored Occidental 6-1 in the third quarter.

The CSUSM attack unit brought their A-game and commanded the pace of play in this game.  The starting attack took care of 15 of 17 goals for the Cougars and facilitated a staggering 10 assists.  Dylan Perry and Austin Jenkin led the game with nine points each.  While the CSUSM midfield has yet to find their stride, the Cougs make up for in their ability to maintain possession.

Coach Hicks stated that “the bar has been set.  Our guys came out and played well for all four quarters.  I am very proud in what we did tonight and there is no more excuses for sloppy play.  This week we will definitely be committing some time to creating more opportunities for the midfield units as well as continuing to make adjustments defensively.  Our attack came out and did what they had to do, but we are making sure that we can fill the gaps in other areas.  We are remaining humble, but if we continue to elevate our play from here we are going to surprise a lot of teams throughout the rest of the season.”

The Cougars travel north this weekend to face the Biola Eagles on Saturday, March 8, at 7:00pm.  The game will be at Biola University in La Mirada, CA.  The Cougars have never played Biola.

CSUSM 7 – San Jose State 8

In a hard fought game this past Sunday, the Cougars were given their first loss of the season.  With many missed opportunities and the game coming down to the final minutes, the San Jose State Spartans came away with an 8-7 victory.  CSUSM had 21 unforced turnovers and and the Spartans capitalized on many of their transition opportunities.

The game started with a quick goal from San Jose State and the Cougars never regained the lead for the rest of the game.  CSUSM was able to tie the score twice and with the game knotted at 7-7 in the final minutes, the Cougars were unable to execute.

On the offensive end, Junior Attackman and Captain, Dylan Perry (on left), had four goals and one assist.  Current points leader, Austin Jenkin, was shutout for most of the game and only had one goal against the Spartan defense.  The midfield unit had trouble finding the back of the net, and with so many turnovers you can be sure that the Cougars are watching last Sunday’s film and practicing hard this week to prepare for a tough game this weekend against Occidental this weekend.

Coach Hicks had little to say after the game except that “21 unforced turnovers is absurd and the guys know that.  This week we will be correcting all of our mistakes on offense and pushing hard to tighten up our play in transition.  Defense is still playing well and we need to continue to do so if we expect to beat a solid Occidental team this weekend.”

The Cougars face the Occidental Tigers this weekend on Saturday, March 1, at 6:00pm.  The game will be at Great Oak High School in Temecula, CA following the high school varsity lacrosse game.  The Cougars have not faced Occidental in an official MCLA  match up.

CSUSM 14 – Channel Islands 3

This past Saturday, Cal State San Marcos traveled up North to take on the Dolphins of CSU Channel Islands.  This is only the second time the two teams have met after a CSUSM victory last year.  The Cougar defense really stepped up and commanded the outcome of this game from beginning and brought a win to San Marcos with a score of 14-3.

In the first half, the Cougars outscored the Dolphins 9-0.  There were many errors offensively, but due to the brick wall defense on the other end of the field, the team was able to hold them scoreless going into the second half.  At the beginning of the second half, Channel Islands put up three quick goals to end their shutout.  The Cougars only put up five goals in the final 30 minutes, but were able to begin executing plays offensively and eliminate some of the sloppy play.   With junior LSM, James Delaney, scooping up seven ground balls on the face-off wing and the defense consistently causing turnovers, San Marcos was able to have possession of the ball for most of the game.

The close defense really took this control of this game, but the Cougar offense was able to continually execute even with a few unforced errors.  Freshman attackman, Austin Jenkin (on left), facilitated an easy win by having seven goals and one assist.  Other notable freshman were midfielders Brandon Bowens and Rashid Jones, putting up two points each.

After the game, Coach Hicks felt pleased with the cohesion and teamwork the Cougars were playing with and expect to clean up the offensive errors this coming week.  “Thankfully our defense came out strong and never let down all game, but we definitely have some things to work on offensively if we expect to beat our coming opponents.  Our schedule only gets harder from here, but I am confident that we can fix everything from today.  Overall, I’m happy with the win and how the team is buying into the system.”

The Cougars face the San Jose State Spartans in their home opener on February 23, at 12:00pm.  The Cougars are 1-0 against the Spartans, victorious in last-season’s match-up 13-8.

CSUSM 12 – UC Irvine 5

Cal State San Marcos opened their 2014 season Saturday with a short trip up the I-5 to take on the Anteaters of UC Irvine, the third meeting between these divisional opponents in as many seasons. Led by a strong performance from their defense the Cougars begin the season with a huge divisional road win, 12-5.
The first half started off slow for San Marcos on the offensive side, as the Cougars were held to just three tallies in opening 30 minutes. The defense was the bright spot, holding the Anteaters scoreless in the first half with a smothering attack that did not allow Irvine to get anything going on offense. Led by junior long stick midfielder James Delaney, the defense played aggressive, creating turnovers and capitalizing on opportunities to scoop up loose ground balls.
The Cougar offensive woke up after the intermission, taking advantage of the opportunities their defense was giving them by scoring nine goals in the second half. In his first collegiate game, freshman Austin Jenkin had a big spot to fill on the Cougars’ attack line with the departure of two-time 1st team all-conference selection Kyle Peterson. The freshman did not disappoint, scoring four goals and dishing two assists, the attack line for San Marcos showed there will be no slowing down.

Coach Teddy Hicks, entering his second season with the team, was happy with his team’s performance, especially what he saw from the young guys, “We came out a little rusty but got on track after the first half. I’m looking forward to heading back to the drawing board at practice to tie up some of our loose ends. All in all, I’m happy to see how our freshman were able to respond in their first collegiate game. Excited to clean some things up before we visit Channel Islands.”

Next up for San Marcos are the Dolphins of Cal State Channel Islands. The contest will be played in Camarillo, CA on February 15th. The Cougars are 1-0 against the Dolphins, victorious in last-season’s match-up 21-5.

The Tukwut Leadership Awards Night was held last week and we were nominated for Student Organization of the Year.  Not only was Men’s Lacrosse the first club sport to be nominated for this award, but it was the first to win it as well!  This is huge accomplishment for program and we look forward to continuing our success in 2014.  Big thanks to all of our sponsors, supporters and fans as well.  Go Cougars!

Cal-State San Marcos won it’s third in a row in convincing fashion Saturday, defeating visiting Channel Islands 21-5.

San Marcos has scored double figures in all three of its victories and is winning by an average margin of almost 15 goals. Channel Islands (1-5) has struggled both to score and to contain opposing offenses.

The Dolphins did lead in this game, scoring the first goal before San Marcos took control, building a 4-1 lead entering the second quarter. It’s the first time this season the Cougars didn’t score first.

“Channel Islands has a lot of fast players on the team, and they managed to take away a lot of our transition offense,” San Marcos coach Teddy Hicks said, “so we really had to settle into our offense and rely on running through our offensive formations. The boys responded well to the adjustment, and we were able to come out with the win.”

Kyle Peterson had another big day offensively. His 37 points and 12.33 ppg lead SLC Division II.

Once again San Marcos was led by the attack tandem of senior Kyle Peterson (Huntington Beach HS) and junior Dylan Perry (San Diego/Westview). Peterson had seven goals and eight assists; Perry had six goals and five assists. In all, seven Cougars found the net.

Goalie Alec Pagliaro recorded 15 saves. In three games he has a .720 save percentage and a 4.67 goals-against average.

The Cougars face Cal Lutheran and SLC opponent Cal-State Long Beach at home this weekend, but the team’s biggest test won’t come until March 16. That’s when San Marcos travels to Temecula to meet No. 16 Cal-State Fullerton in an SLC matchup that no doubt will carry some playoff implications.

And a week after facing Fullerton, San Marcos travels to Irvine to face No. 7 Concordia.

via Southland Lax

The Cougars got started fast and within the first 2 minutes of the game, Attackman Dylan Perry buried two quick goals off of fast break opportunities. Kyle Skachenko added another goal to take an early 3-0 lead.  Both teams then exchanged a pair of goals to end the first quarter at 4-1.

During the second quarter, a streaking Spartans offense quickly brought the score to 6-4.  Coach Hicks quickly called a time out as San Jose started to gain momentum, leaving San Marcos scratching their head. With the team gathered, the Cougars headed back on the field with a new game plan and quickly took back control. The Cougars buried some quick goals at the end of the second and again early in the third and never looked back as they were able to take control of the second half and finish the game with a 13-8 victory.

Coach Hicks said, “I was pleased with how well we responded to San Jose as they got
their legs back under them and started to slowly take the momentum away from us. We
were able to execute a new game plan and take control of the game. I’m really proud of
the the way our men played today.  San Jose was a great opponent and we’re very thankful they traveled
all this way to play us.”

The Cougars will continue to defend their undefeated season as they take on CSU Channel Islands this weekend.
The Dolphins will be traveling to San Marcos to face the Cougars on March 2nd at 2:00pm.

For the second time in as many weeks an important divisional matchup for San Marcos was not played as scheduled. Though this time it was not rain, rather an administrative mishap that kept the divisional game from taking place. Instead of cancelling the game and rescheduling for a later date, the teams decided to turn this matchup into a scrimmage and get another game under their respective belts during the early stage of the 2013 season.

The Cougars stepped out in front of a great home crowd seemingly out of place and uncomfortable, as 4 first-quarter penalties by the home team turned into 3 man-up goals for the Long Beach 49ers and a 5-2 deficit at the end of the 1st. The Cougars turned it around in the 2nd quarter, scoring 4 unanswered and taking a 6-5 lead into halftime. “We came out flat in the first quarter but eventually found our footing on both sides of the ball. We were able to capitalize on some transition offense that got us right back into the game,” Cougars’ Head Coach Teddy Hicks said.

San Marcos carried the momentum of the 2nd quarter right into the later stages of the game, as a stout defense and an unrelenting offense combined to outscore the 49ers 11-3 in the 2nd half. Attackmen #9 Kyle Peterson and #4 Dylan Perry took over the game on the offensive side, with at least one of them having a hand in each of the Cougars’ 11 second-half tallies.

The date of the reschuled game between Long Beach and San Marcos is yet to be determined, but Coach Hicks and the Cougars seem to be ready whenever the time comes to take on the 49ers, who they have beaten in scrimmages twice since the fall.

Next up for the Cougars are the San Jose State Spartans, who will travel to San Marcos for an inter-conference matchup on February 23rd at 2:00 pm

The opening weekend of the 2013 season brought a solid victory and a contest rescheduled due to rain, as what was shaping up to be quite event on Saturday turned into a flooded field and a cancelled home opener for San Marcos. Though with a scheduled back-to-back to start the season the Cougars made the short trip up to Torrance, CA to battle the Marymount Mariners on Sunday.

On the shoulders of an incredible game from #9 Kyle Peterson, the Cougars came away with a 25-2 victory. San Marcos’ captain put in 11 goals and 6 assists, a single-game career high in both categories for the senior attackman. While the Cougars’ offense seemed to be clicking on Sunday, Coach Hicks isn’t quite satisfied, “We’re really looking forward to improving on our weaknesses at practice this week in preparation for the Long Beach game this weekend.”
As the first game played of the 2013 season between two SLC DII opponents, the rest of the conference got to see the result of two newer programs putting it together and heading in the right direction. “We have to give Marymount credit, they never gave up and fought until the end.” Stated Coach Hicks after the game.

The Cougars will host the Long Beach 49ers on Saturday, February 2nd at 2:00 pm as the new home opener for the 2013 season. The UC Irvine game has been rescheduled to April 14th, 2:00 pm at Cal State San Marcos.

Our first game is coming up on Saturday, January 26, against UC Irvine.  The game is at 2:00pm on the Multi-Purpose Field at CSUSM.  We will be having some food, drinks and music before the game so we hope to see everyone out there.  Go Cougars!

The Cougars are excited to announce the schedule for the upcoming 2013 season.

San Marcos will kick off the season with back to back games the weekend of January 26th, starting on Saturday at home with a divisional match-up against UC Irvine, followed by a trip to Rancho Palos Verdes to face Marymount College on Sunday.
The Cougars will host WCLL opponent San Jose State on February 23rd as part of a four game home-stand stretching from February 2nd to March 9th.
San Marcos will make the short trip to Temecula to take on divisional opponent Cal State Fullerton at Great Oak High School on Saturday, March 16th at 5:00 PM.
For spring break the Cougars will travel to Northern California and play games against Cal Maritime Academy and Humboldt State.
The Cougars return south to meet up with UC San Diego on April 19th, and will finish the season at home on April 21st against Northern Arizona.

Head Coach – Teddy Hicks

Coach Teddy Hicks was recently named head coach for the Cal State San Marcos Cougars lacrosse program. Coach Hicks has over fifteen years of experience in playing and coaching lacrosse at an elite level. Coach Hicks was a multi-year captain for the Boise State University Broncos lacrosse team where he still holds a number of team records. Coach Hicks was a multi-year all conference selection in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference and Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League.  In 2005, he led the country in regular season points. Upon graduation from Boise State, Coach Hicks was invited to play with team Gatorade and received an invite to tryout for the now disbanded Los Angeles Riptide.
Previously, Coach Hicks has coached varsity lacrosse at both Borah and Timberline High Schools in Boise Idaho, taking the Timberline Wolves to a State Championship. Most recently he was the head Varsity Lacrosse coach at Laguna Hills High school where he turned a losing program into the Sea View League champions only in his second year. At Laguna Hills Coach Hicks compiled a 29-11 record in 2 years and was recently voted “Coach of the Year” after his most recent season compiling a 21-2 record.
Coach Hicks states “ I really look forward to leading the Cal State San Marcos lacrosse program and taking it to the next level. San Diego County is undoubtedly the hot bed of lacrosse west of the Mississippi. We’re looking forward to tapping into that talent and turning San Marcos into a contender year in and year out. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the program here.”
Coach Hicks is a Native American and an enrolled member of the Shawnee Nation, Blue Creek Band.  Lacrosse is more than a game to him and his people.  It is a way of life and an expression of their cultural identity.

 Assistant Coach – Chase Allvord

Coach Chase Allvord founded the lacrosse team at Cal State San Marcos in 2010. After spending the last two seasons as the team’s captain, Coach Allvord has moved to the sideline in order to continue supporting CSUSM Lacrosse as part of Coach Hick’s staff.

“It has been a true blessing to see how far this program has come in just two short years, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to continue leading our guys as a coach. The potential this program has to be a powerhouse not only in our conference but in the country cannot be overstated.”
Coach Allvord finished an eleven-year playing career after the 2012 season with the Cougars.

The Cougars lacrosse webstore is now open! Order your CSUSM Lacrosse apparel by November 13th in order to assure holiday delivery. All orders directly support CSUSM Lacrosse.

CLICK HERE