Vail Shootout, Masters Division


June 29, 2005
from press releases

Rusty Red Takes Third Consecutive Masters Championship, 14-5
Goldstein's six points help defeat Lax Unlimited in the final

Rusty Red defeated Lacrosse Unlimited 14-5 in the Masters Championship game today on Ford West Field, earning the team's third consecutive title. Lacrosse Unlimited battled hard to reach this final round but they couldn't overcome Rusty Red's Tim Goldstein and Brian O'Keefe who combined for five goals and five assists in the win. Goldstein scored a goal and set up five more to lead all scorers while O'Keefe blasted in four goals. Kevin McCusker paced Lacrosse Unlimited's offense with two goals and an assist.

After a 6-4 halftime lead for the Big Red, the Cornell alum blitzed the Long Island representatives for eight of the nine goals scored in the second half. A Lacrosse Unlimited goal by Chris Parsons at the 6:21 mark of the third brought the designated home team as close as they would come down the stretch. From that point on Rusty Red went on a seven-goal tear, led by Goldstein and O'Keefe who each tallied a goal and an assist.

Overall Rusty Red carried a 30-19 shot advantage but fell short in ground balls with a 31-26 Lacrosse Unlimited edge.

3rd Place Game
Rock-it Pocket 11, Meineke 5
After a 1-1 first half score Rock-it Pocket went on a 10-4 tear to close out the game. Five players scored two goals each for Rock-it Pocket to even out the scoring.

5th Place Game
Middlebury 14, Lax Gear 5
A 12-0 lead through halftime did all but destroyed the Lax Gear psyche. Scott Seymour scored two goals and three assists to carry the Middlebury offense.

7th Place Game
Bright Futures 8, Middle Age Crisis 3
Bright Futures jumped out to a 5-0 lead going into the half. Strangely enough the first goal in the second half proved to be the game winner.

Masters Semifinals:
Lax Unlimited 15, Rock-it Pocket 9
Despite the enormous effort by goalkeeper Dan Cisneros (15 saves), Boathouse/Rock-it Pocket was defeated by Lax Unlimited. Characterized by strong middie play, Lax Unlimited has outscored their opponents 27-11. Four middies had three or more points against Rock-it Pocket, but Lax Unlimited will move on to the Masters Finals.

Rusty Red 13, Meineke 5
Proving to be a dominant force in the tournament, Brian O’Keefe scored four goals and had an assist in Rusty Red’s 13-5 victory over Meineke. Accompanied by strong and aggressive defense, Rusty Red’s offense was able to lead the team to another win. Rusty Red continues to be the favorite in the Masters Division and will move on to play Lax Unlimited in what should be an interesting match-up.

Masters Consolation:
Middlebury 1, Bright Futures 0 (Forfeit game, Bright Futures won 11-7)
In the early morning game, Bright Futures used some young legs to run past Middlebury. The Futures are a forfeit team, however, and Middlebury will advance.

Lax Gear 10, Middle Age Crisis 7
In one of the day’s closest games in the Masters Division, Lax Gear defeated M.A.C. 10-7. The game started slow, but quickly picked up pace as George Verbrugge tallied the game’s first goal. However, Lax Gear’s Matt Bicknell dominated the face-off ‘x’ winning 15/19. With Bicknell giving his team the edge, Lax Gear scored seven goals in the fourth quarter for the comeback victory.

Quarterfinals
Lax Unlimited 12, Lax Gear 2
Rusty Red 13, Bright Futures 5
Team Meineke 8, Middlebury 7
Rock-it Pocket 19, Middle Age Crisis 6

2005 Masters All-Tournament Team:
Attack

Brian O'Keefe (Rusty Red)
Chris Parsons (Lacrosse Unlimited)
Kevin McCluster (Lacrosse Unlimited)
Kevin Johnson (Rock-it Pocket/Boathouse)

Midfield
Stephen Sombrotto (Lacrosse Unlimited)
Lance Savage (Rock-it Pocket/Boathouse)
John Atherton (Middlebury)
Ian McCray (Middlebury)

Face-Off
Mike Grassmick (Lax Gear)

LS Mid.
Seth Rouss (Middlebury)

Defense
Curt Sandstrom (Rusty Red)
Scott Coleman (Lacrosse Unlimited)
Kevin Johnson (Rock-it Pocket/Boathouse)
Joe Boucher (Lacrosse Unlimited)
Gerry Byrne (Rusty Red)

Goalie
Tim Shea (Rusty Red)

MVP
Brian O'Keefe (Rusty Red)