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Bengals' defense leads to big win in SUNYAC opener
By Leif Reigstad
On April 3, 2013
The Buffalo State lacrosse team played stingy defense and controlled the tempo
throughout Saturday's 13-5 dismantling of New Paltz on the road in their first SUNYAC
matchup of the season.
Led by seniors Sara Kirchberger (four goals) and Ashley Caporizzo (three goals and four
assists), the Bengals' offense was clicking as they jumped out to an eight-goal lead early
on. When the scoring onslaught slowed, Buffalo State's intense team defense kept New
Paltz from catching up.
"It was probably the best defense I've seen us ever play," Caporizzo said. "We played
very well. It was so well put together. Every single person you could hear on the other
side of the field, and every slide was there."
Buffalo State (6-3, 1-0) held a 10-1 lead with 19 minutes left in the game. After moving
the ball very well in the first half - Caporizzo assisted on three of the first four goals -
the passing slowed a bit later on. But the defense did not let up, earning high praise from
head coach Meg Stevens after the game.
"I'm really happy with where our defense is," Stevens said. "They're getting better every
time they step on the field. They're doing better as individuals and also doing better as a
unit. This is a strong, strong defensive unit."
In addition to playing well defensively, controlling the tempo was key to winning the
game. Stevens said she wanted her team to focus on that heading into the game.
"We wanted to control the tempo," Stevens said. "We're just trying to get our offense
working, trying to find that happy-medium between pushing it in a run-and-gun offense
and pulling back a little bit, having a good number of passes and more ball movement.
"We held the ball for a lot of time, keeping possession on offense. We slowed the tempo
down and just controlled the pace of the game on offense."
Kirchberger, who has 15 goals on the season, said controlling the tempo made it easier to
put the ball in the net.
"It's easier to score if you control the ball," Kirchberger said. "We played more
composed in attack. We just slowed it down, we didn't force things. Each goal took about
two or three minutes off the clock."
This was the first game for the Bengals since returning from their spring trip in Florida,
where they lost games to William Smith (Pa.) and Hamilton before beating Western
Connecticut State. Stevens believes the trip helped prepare the Bengals for SUNYAC
play.
"We come back [from the spring trip] and just jump right into SUNYAC play," Stevens
said. "People know what SUNYAC means and we're going to need to step up and play
our best. We talked about it with the players that everything up until SUNYAC play is
basically a warm-up. Now we're in conference play, and this is what matters."
The Bengals were supposed to continue SUNYAC play at home Tuesday against
Brockport, but that game was postponed due to bad weather. It is tentatively re-scheduled
for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, but Stevens said that is also likely to be moved because of the
bad weather.
"Snow in April - welcome to spring in Buffalo!" Stevens said.
There will be no joking when the Bengals take the field against Brockport (6-2, 1-0), a
formidable opponent that should provide more of a test than New Paltz.
"We're getting better every time we step on the field," Stevens said. "That's what teams
should do this time of year. We're getting there."
Leif Reigstad can be reached by email at reigstad.record@live.com.
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