GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Orange balls, nearly constant shoveling, and the motivation of pure necessity were the only things that even made Argo lacrosse's game against Puget Sound playable. With the field already covered in at least 3 inches of snow by game time, and the brunt of the Sunday morning snow storm lasting through the entire first half, the game conditions were anything but ideal. Despite the snow and the opponent, however, UGF pulled out its third straight win, beating Puget Sound 14-2.  
 
The Argos were the clear favorite against the winless Loggers and the team needed to win its final PNCLL game of the year to maintain its place in the playoff hunt, but the weather threatened to even the playing field. That concern got bigger a few minutes into the game when the Loggers were first on the score sheet with an unassisted effort from leading scorer Mark Officer.
 
"It's the great equalizer and that's what scares you to death," UGF Head Coach Fred Boekel said. "You know bad things can happen when the weather's like that."
 
Just as they did the previous day against #21 Western Washington, UGF woke up after allowing the first goal. For the third consecutive game, the stellar Argo defense held its opponent to 1 first half goal, allowing the team to get out to a comfortable lead.
 
The first few minutes for the Argo offense were spent learning how to play in the snow. Not only was cutting on the slick surface an issue, but the biggest problem was figuring out how to scoop up ground balls without getting a stick full of snow instead. Eventually, the players figured it out and got in the habit of tossing the ball up and catching it a few times once in the open field to separate ball from snow.
 
With those adjustments made, UGF began to dominate possession by forcing turnovers, winning ground balls, and running a patient offense. The Argos rallied off the next 10 goals in the game, including 4 goals from junior Josh Smith.
 
The second quarter was what really separated the Argos from the Loggers. UGF won the quarter 6-0, making the team's score in the second stanza of the last three games 13-0.
 
"Like I told you yesterday, I'd put us in the top ten in the nation defensively," Boekel said. "We've got some much experience back there. McKinley has played high level lacrosse, and Colton has only played the game for a couple of years, and my goodness, that guy is top notch."
 
While the snow we beginning to let up by the start of the second half, the score (10-1 UGF) and the field conditions led to both coaches agreeing to a running clock for the rest of the game.
 
The pace of play slowed down as the clock sped up, and goals were at a premium for the rest of the game. The third quarter started exactly who the first quarter began, with a goal from Officer for Puget Sound.
 
And just like in the first half, that was the last time the Loggers would score. UGF got 4 more goals in the second half, to make the final score 14-2.
 
For the second consecutive game, UGF broke the program record for fewest goals allowed in a game. They have now given up an average of 4.3 goals per game in the last three contests, two of which were against ranked opponents.
 
Smith finished the game with 5 goals and 2 assists, after being shut out for just the second time of his career against Western Washington. Sophomore Chase Clark, who played primarily on offense in this contest, was UGF's second leading scorer with 4 goals and 2 assists.
 
The win gives UGF a program record of three consecutive wins and has the team a few Western Washington or Gonzaga loses away from its first trip to the PNCLL playoffs in program history. That seemed unlikely nine days ago, when UGF went to 1-2 in conference play with a difficult 14-5 loss to University of Montana on March 31.
 
"I think the guys have really started to believe in themselves. They could have let that game against Montana be a big letdown for them and just given up at that point," Boekel said. "They came back, refocused, and won that big game against Montana State. That win, and the yesterday's win against Western Washington, proved to them that they really do belong."
 
If Western Washington loses its upcoming game against Western Washington, both the Vikings and the Argos will have 2 losses with WWU still to play Gonzaga. If Gonzaga then wins that game, UGF will be in the playoffs as the third best team from the PNCLL DII North. If WWU wins, UGF, WWU, and Gonzaga will be in a three-way tie for two spots with head-to-head goal differential serving as the tiebreaker.
 
UGF has two games left in the regular season, both of which will be against non-PNCLL opponents. The first will be Argo Lacrosse Senior Day, on Friday, April 14 at 5:00 p.m. against Metropolitan State.